Train Of Consequences
by dudelove85
Summary: An old foe uncovers a dangerous weapon, forcing the Red Rangers to come together to deal with the threat. The problem is that a lot of bad blood exists between some of the veterans and they haven't spoken to each other in years. They should be fighting the enemy but they might spend just as long fighting themselves. Part of the "Project Hexagon" series
1. Set The Ball A-Rollin'

_Chapter 1 -Set The Ball A-Rollin'  
_

 _September 27 2002, The Moon_

The remnants of the Moon Palace were not a pretty sight to behold. Rita Repulsa's old stronghold had been ravaged on two separate occasions, firstly by the Machine Empire and then by the unstable Psycho Red and the Space Rangers in 1998. Rubble and twisted metal lay everywhere and there wasn't one identifiable thing that anyone would call a palace. The GSA had used the area as a training camp but no one had thought to excavate the area, until a few weeks ago.

General Venjix stood at the top of a crater and watched his team slowly going to work. To this day he wasn't sure how he survived the infamous 'Zordon Wave' four years ago. He had been exiled to a far flung corner of the galaxy and it was possibly this very thing that prevented him from suffering the fate of many of his kin. It took him a while but he had slowly reassembled the remains of the Machine Empire.

The Royal House of Gadgetry was long gone, destroyed by the Zeo Rangers during a suicidal final attack five years ago. Most of their Cogs had fallen with them along with the knowledge to create more of the footsoldiers and construct powerful generals. After a year of searching, General Venjix was satisfied that he was the most senior member of the Empire left alive. This time there would be no usurper to take his rightful place at the leader of the Machine Empire.

A leader though is nothing without an army and Venjix found himself struggling for followers. He had found four other general during his search but he thought they were almost worthless. Like him they had been exiled away from the Empire but for poor leadership skills or outright failures. He hadn't even bothered to properly learn some of their names, that's how useless he found them. At least he wouldn't have to worry about any of them stealing his position as leader. With the generals came a small army of Cogs and news of a secret buried deep within the surface of The Moon.

A Cog slowly climbed the side of the crater and buzzed something unintelligible. Venjix nodded and a small explosion echoed throughout the crater. When the smoke cleared, they could see a metallic dragon's head poking out from the ground, "Excellent", Venjix chuckled, "Lord Zedd was a fool to leave this behind".

The truth was that Zedd didn't deliberately leave Serpenterra behind. After suffering a serious injury in the last battle with the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Ecliptor had extracted Lord Zedd and returned him to Dark Specter. The Monarch of Evil had exiled Zedd away from Earth and forcibly buried Serpenterra as punishment. Lord Zedd briefly waged war with Rita for control of Master Vile's home planet before he was finally killed by the Space Rangers.

Ignorant of this, Venjix crouched down and tapped the side of a metal case, "With this new power supply, Serpenterra will be invincible". Just then the General heard the sound of falling rocks tumbling down the side of the crater. He quickly spun his head and saw a cloaked figure running away, "A spy", he roared, "quickly after them", he bellowed down to anyone who could hear him.

With about a dozen Cogs in tow, Venjix sped after the intruder in his specially constructed buggy. Whoever this spy was made have some kind of combat training because they were evading all attempted to slow him down. One round fired by a Cog did catch the stranger on the shoulder and they yelped out in pain. Still the pursuit went on until the spy made a wrong turn and became trapped between a steep cliff face in front of them and two deep craters on either side. Venjix pulled up and stepped towards the intruder, "I don't like being spied on", he began, "before my friends open fire, don you have any last words?"

"Just four", a male voice stated from underneath the cloak, "Galaxy Glider, Hang Ten". The stranger jumped off the side of the cliff and into the crater below.

Venjix was sure that he had plunged to his death but moments later a red streak blasted past them, "The Red Space Ranger", he roared, "well don't just stand there, shoot him down".

Ducking underneath a barrage of laser fire, Andros cursed his momentary slip. Now the Machine Empire were aware they he and the other Space Rangers had been spying on them. The team first got wind that someone was gathering the remnants of the Empire together about a year ago and had been keeping track of what they were doing. When the Empire made a move towards Earth, the team had no hesitation in firing up the Mark Two Megaship and following them.

At first they thought the Empire was preparing for a revenge attack on Earth but to their surprise, they set up camp on The Moon. The Space Rangers knew all too well that there was still a lot of magical power underneath Rita's Palace and observed their excavations. Andros was so shocked that they had unearthed Serpenterra that he had moved out of his hiding spot too quickly, leading to this desperate chase across the surface.

The red ranger tried to pull out this blaster but the injury to his shoulder prevented him from reaching around, "Damn it", he cursed, "Ash is going to kill me".

"You've outnumbered red ranger", Venjix called out from below, "surrender while you've got the chance".

Before Andros could give a response, another round of laser fire lit up the sky but this one was in support of the red ranger, "Looks like I'm going to have to save your ass again big brother".

Andros groaned as Karone, the silver ranger, shot past him on her Galaxy Glider, "Great now my misery is complete", he grumbled, "I won't hear the end of this".

Another ranger, the Black Space Ranger, pulled up alongside, "A thank you would be nice Andros", Carlos chuckled as he opened fire with his Astro Blaster. Moments later the Astro Megaship loomed into view and joined in with the barrage. Seeing that his army faced elimination Venjix immediately called a retreat, "Damn and I was just getting warmed up", the black ranger sighed.

Karone hovered over towards the other two with her Silverizer blade ready for action, "What's the plan, are we going to strike now?"

"No, not yet", Andros shook his head, "they'll be waiting for us, plus I've got some bad news". The black and silver rangers looked nervously between themselves before following their leader back to the Megaship.

 _Astro Megaship_

"Serpenterra?" TJ asked in horror, "are you sure?"

"Unfortunately yes", Andros replied sadly, "somehow the Machine Empire have discovered the most destructive zord in the galaxy". He winced slightly as Ashley wrapped a bandage around his wounded shoulder, "Careful that stings".

"It's your own fault for being reckless", the yellow ranger groaned as she finished tying the strapping, "now put your shirt on, no one wants to see your chest anymore".

Carlos snorted, "Someone's in the dog house", he whispered to Cassie.

"Guys this isn't helping", Karone scolded them, "I've seen Serpenterra in action, it can level a city with one blast from its weapons system".

"Yeah we've seen it on Earth as well", Cassie added, "fortunately it kept running out of power before it could fire on us".

"Then you should count yourselves lucky", Andros stood up and put his jacket back on. He gestured to his team that he was moving the briefing to somewhere other than the medical bay. Once they were back on the bridge, they settled into their command positions to continue their discussion, "Alright so we know that Venjix has unearthed Serpenterra and we also know that the Empire stole a Neo Plutonium reactor". He brought up an image onscreen of Venjix and a metal case, "DECA analyse that case to see if it matches the dimensions of the stolen reactor".

After a few moments the ship's computer replied, "Confirmed with a probability of 97 percent".

"Great with a Neo Plutonium reactor, Venjix could power Serpenterra for months between recharges", Cassie wrapped her hands behind her neck and grasped them tightly, "the question is how are we going to handle this?"

Carlos snapped his fingers, "Why can't we use the Megaship's Cannon's and blast the thing apart".

"They're not strong enough", Karone shook her head, "the outer shell of Serpenterra is practically indestructible".

"Alright how about that turtle zord thing that the Mighty Morphin' Rangers used? If I recall Serpenterra couldn't even mark that thing" Ashley asked.

TJ though shook his head, "You mean Tor? Nah I thought of that but it's long gone. Billy told me that he recycled some of its parts to make the Zeo Zords".

Cassie let out a deep sigh, "So that's it then, we just pack up and go home", she ran her hand through her hair in frustration, "there must be something we can do?"

Everyone glanced in the direction of their leader but for once, Andros was out of ideas. Their zords would be useless against Serpenterra, although pretty much every zord would be. His eyes then flicked to a viewing screen which was currently showing the Earth down below. He bit his lip for a few moments, hesitating to give voice to the idea he just had. Unfortunately he still broadcast the thought, "Andros, no", Ashley scolded, "we resolved never to turn to them for help".

"Don't you remember what they said about us", Karone added. She used the term 'us' but really she was referring to the comments directed towards her after the final battle with Dark Specter.

"Look I don't like it either", the red ranger began, "but they could have something stored away that could eliminate Serpenterra once and for all". He paused and sighed, "At the very least they deserve to know what's coming their way. If they choose to help us then we'll fight alongside them to save the planet".

"And if they don't help us?" Carlos stated.

The red ranger paused for a moment, "We're still rangers and we'll what we have to", he replied simply.

"Great another suicide mission", Cassie groaned, "been a while since we had one of those".

Ignoring the pink ranger's sarcastic comment, Andros rose out of his seat, "TJ and I will go down and meet them", he stated, "we're the most likely to keep control of our tempers".

Ashley snorted, "Clearly you remember that argument differently to the rest of us".

"Yeah if I recall you were the first ones to jump into that brawl", Carlos added.

"That was a long time ago", Andros replied, "we've matured a lot since then". The others glared at the red and blue rangers, none of them were convinced, "We'll head down to Angel Grove, you four can do whatever you want in the mean time".

"Keep in constant contact with DECA though", TJ added as he disappeared around the corner, "let us know if something changes".

"Yes boss", Cassie called out, "I don't know about you three but I'm going to drop in on my favourite Aunt and Uncle-in-Law, fancy tagging along?"

"That's a kind offer but we're going to visit Washington state", Ashley replied, "see what's happening with the latest teams". Cassie nodded and the four left the bridge for the jump tubes. Until Andros and TJ came back with news from Hexagon, all they could do is wait. All the time though, they were aware that the Machine Empire were getting closer to activating Serpenterra. They hoped their team mates came back with an answer quickly.

 _ **A/N -**_ _Welcome to the next story in the "Project Hexagon" series and in case you can't tell, it's time for the red rangers to suit up again. As this follows on from all my other stories it would help if you've read them but I'll try and explain any canon differences as I go along. Next up, an awkward meeting._


	2. Trust?

_Chapter 2 - Trust?_

 _September 28 2002 - Hexagon Headquarters, Angel Grove, CA_

On their arrival in the city, Andros and TJ were surprised that Hexagon agreed to meet with them so quickly as there was a lot of bad blood between the Space Rangers and their predecessors. This would be the first time they returned to Angel Grove since they left the plant nearly four years ago, mostly down to that argument between the teams. The meeting was scheduled for the following morning and with the others away from the Megaship, they had nothing to do but explore the city.

Their first impressions were that the city had done an excellent job repairing most of the damage. The central square where the Space Rangers had destroyed Darkonda was now dedicated to them. Statues of the six rangers looked down protectively on the square, a sign of the respect from the citizens of Angel Grove. Underneath the surface though, something was different but the pair couldn't put their fingers on it. Thanks to their meeting with the Galaxy Rangers, they knew that most of the original residents of the city left on Terra Venture. Leo said that before he left, the city was practically a ghost town. Now though the city was bustling but there didn't appear to be a mixture of people like there was before. There were no families or senior citizens, instead everyone appeared to be in their early to mid twenties. Young professionals TJ called them but quite why they had made Angel Grove their home, neither of them knew immediately.

The answer soon became clear the next day when they travelled to the outskirts of the city. Hexagon Headquarters was impressive to look at. Taking inspiration from the Pentagon, the building was six sided and several stories high. The front entrance was an impressive glass and metal structure that covered the front side. The rest of the building was rather bland, consisting of concrete painted a dulled beige colour. At the main door was a lightning bolt structure that mirrored the logo for the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Andros snorted at the sculpture and the prominence that it was given in the building, "Clearly someone's ego needed to be boosted".

TJ though noticed that most of the staff coming through the door were the same as the people they had seen in the city the previous evening, "Looks like Heaxgon has repopulated the city with their own staff", he whispered, "why do they need this many employees, they've only got a handful of rangers on their books?"

"I dunno, maybe we'll find out during this meeting", the red ranger replied. As they sat in the reception area a few people turned their way and stared in disbelief. A few nudged their co-workers on the way past and whispered. The pair put on a forced grin and gave them a wave, "I've forgotten how much I hate the attention", Andros sighed. The Space Rangers were still famous on Karovia but after four years, most off the attention had died down. Now they were more famous for the work they put into rebuilding the Karovian legacy.

"Mr Andros, Mr Johnson", the receptionist called out, "you can go through now".

TJ frowned, "Don't we need an escort?"

"You're Power Rangers, I think you can be trusted", she replied sweetly, "Mr Scott and Mr Oliver are waiting for your in Test Area B". The receptionist pointed through a door behind her, "Just follow the signs, it's not hard to miss".

The duo nodded their thanks and walked through the door. The corridors all looked the same but they followed the signs as instructed, "She was very trusting", TJ stated.

"More ego boosting", Andros replied, "this time they boosted ours by implying that we're trustworthy people. That way we won't be quite so on edge for this meeting".

The blue ranger frowned, "You are one cynical human being", he shook his head.

After about five minutes it was becoming clear that Test Area B was on the other side of the building. They had already passed through two sides of the hexagon before finally reaching their destination. After passing through one set of doors, they were confronted with armed security guards. They thought they were going to search them for weapons but after flashing their morphers, they were allow admittance without any further questions.

The pair were ushered through the door and immediately got the surprise of their life. Test Area B was a giant hangar that took up the entire third side of the hexagonal shaped building. In front of them were three zords under construction, a red hawk, a giant yellow lion and rather weirdly, a blue dolphin, "So how will that move", Andros frowned, "unless all zord fights take place near the sea".

"Now that is a closely guarded secret, not even we know that yet", a deep voice called out.

The two Space Rangers turned around saw Jason Lee Scott and Tommy Oliver for the first time in four years. The original red ranger look very similar to how they remembered but something was different about Tommy, "You've cut your hair", TJ commented.

"Ha, you owe me ten buck bro", Jason slapped his friend on the arm, "I knew it would be the first thing they noticed".

"Yeah it was getting too much to handle", Tommy sighed, "especially when you've got a young child who keeps pulling on it".

"Yes I heard that congratulations were in order", Andros replied stiffly, "I bet that was a surprise to you and Katherine".

"Tell me about it", Tommy said with a forced smile. He pulled out his wallet, "That's Ben he's nearly eighteen months old now".

"I bet he's proud of the work his Daddy does", TJ stated but the two older red ranger weren't sure how to take the comment, "how's Kat is doing?" he added.

"We'll have plenty of time to catch up", Jason jumped in front of TJ's question, "I saw you admiring the new zords".

"They do look impressive", Andros commented, "is this for the animal based team we heard about in Turtle Cove".

Tommy shook his head, "Nah they've already got their own fleet of zords, these are for the Wind Ninja Academy, they were our first clients".

"Are you also training future rangers as well?" TJ asked, "cause you've got a lot of space in this building".

"We've decided to let the power choose the most appropriate person", Jason replied, "as your team knows too well, you never know who's going to going to fill the tights".

Inside Andros was seething, he was sure there was a hidden jibe towards Karone or the rest of his team. Externally though his face was a mask of calm, "Very true", he replied tersely. TJ kept glancing nervously in his direction, he had been around Andros long to know when he was about to blow, "But we didn't come all this way to discuss that", he added.

"Yeah your call did sound rather urgent", Tommy began, "I'm surprised that you were just in the area".

TJ took a deep breath and began to tell their story, "About a year ago we picked up on some chatter about the Machine Empire. Initially we dismissed it as we thought the Empire was destroyed but then the chatter got louder and more frequent".

"We traced some signals and followed them across the galaxy until we tracked them down to the Moon", Andros continued, "and to our surprise we found a fleet of cogs and some Empire Generals all under the Command of General Venjix".

"Venjix?" Tommy asked, "Are you sure because I thought the Empire destroyed him for treason".

"Exiled but not destroyed", TJ replied, "and it gets worst, Venjix has uncovered Serpenterra and has found a way to power it".

Jason and Tommy took a step back in shock, remembering only too well the terror that Lord Zedd's personal zord caused. It was Tommy's first mission as leader to stop Serpenterra, something they achieved more through luck than strategy, "Not that we don't believe you but are you 100 percent certain?" Jason asked.

"Take a look at our footage", Andros thrust a camera in their direction. A few moments later, the colour drained from Jason and Tommy's cheeks, "Satisfied?" the Red Space Ranger said with more than a hint of venom.

"This is serious", Tommy began, "thank you for bringing this to our attention".

"What that's it?" TJ began, "thanks for risking your lives now run along", he snorted, "I see nothing's changed".

"You're forgetting that Hexagon is responsible for Ranger deployment on and around Earth", Jason began, "you can't come back and tell us how to run things".

TJ was about to fire back but Andros raised a hand to silence him, "Look we've had our differences in the past but this is bigger than our petty arguments. This will require the cooperation of everyone, regardless of where their loyalties lie".

The Red Zeo Ranger thought about this for a moment, "You're right and I think I've got an idea", he paused for a moment, "we're all red rangers here so why don't we assemble every red ranger and take down Serpenterra". Andros and TJ thought about this for a moment and slowly nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure Carter will agree without hesitation", Jason began, "I'm not sure about Wes from Time Force, we've had some difficulties with them in the past".

"Lost the legal battle then", Andros smirked, "just because we're not on Earth doesn't mean that we don't know what's happening".

"An out of court settlement was agreed on by both parties", Jason stated.

"Well it's a good thing for you that Carlos, Ash and Karone are in the area", TJ began, "perhaps they can have more luck persuading him".

"I'll contact Leo on Mirinoi", Andros added, "then all we need to do is rope in Aurico and we'll have a pretty good squad".

"Don't forget about the new guy", Tommy stated quickly, "we'll dispatch someone to Turtle Cove immediately".

Andros nodded, "Alright if there's nothing else to discuss then we'll be in contact", he turned away and quickly left with TJ in tow, "That was harder than I thought and I swear if anyone has another crack at Karone then I won't be responsible for my actions".

"Don't worry man, I'll back you up on that", TJ patted his shoulder, "we'd better tell the others what the plan is".

Back in the test area, Jason breathed a sigh of relief, "That could've been worse".

"Yeah it also could've been better", Tommy scolded, "did you have to imply that Karone wasn't a worthy ranger".

"She stole someone else morpher", Jason stated, "perhaps her and Eric Myers should form their own little team".

"Gentlemen", Phil Spader appeared from the shadows, "we've got them onside that's the main thing". He adjusted his tie, "But this little exchange makes me nervous, if you can't keep your thoughts and emotions in check..."

"I will", Jason replied.

"Good to hear", Spader frowned, "but you both came close to blowing this, fortunately Tommy redeemed himself with the red ranger suggestion". Spader paused for a moment, "Perhaps it would be unwise for Mr DeSantos to join your little mission though".

"Sir that's not fair", Tommy began, "Rocky's worked harder than anyone to ensure the success of Hexagon".

"And so he should", Spader snapped, "it was his childish outburst that nearly caused it to fail before it even started. Even now we're well short on the number of members the board wants. If we're going to gain the trust of the Space and Galaxy Rangers again, everyone needs to be on their best behaviour".

"You can count on us", Tommy nodded.

"Good because the funding review for the prehistoric gem research is due", Spader glared at the Red Zeo Ranger, "don't make us cut your budget Mr Oliver". He straightened his jacket, "Contact Mr Grayson and tell him I'll be in Mariner Bay in two hours. It'll be his job to bring the Red Wild Force Ranger in", with that final comment, Spader left the room.

"That guy makes me uneasy", Jason sighed.

Tommy grasped him on the shoulder, "Think of the big picture bro", it took a few moments for Jason to nod in agreement, "now we'd better go and pack".

"Good luck explaining to Kat why you're leaving again", Jason chuckled.

"Don't, I haven't told her about the research project on Mercer Island yet, she's going to kill me", Tommy shook his head. He wasn't sure what scared him more, facing Serpenterra or a furious Australian ex-ranger.


	3. Rangers, Assemble

_Chapter 3 – Rangers Assemble_

 _September 28 – Silver Hills, WA_

Team meetings for the Silver Hills branch of the Silver Guardians were never hugely exciting affairs, today's though was exceptionally boring. Since the appearance of the Mut-Orgs in Turtle Cove a few weeks ago, nothing of interest had occured in the city. They had kept their eyes on events happening down the road in Turtle Cove but it looked like the Wild Force Rangers had everything under control. Instead Jen and her team were left investigating a spate of petty vandalism and stuck on traffic duty.

Lucas leaned back in his chair and stretched his stiff back. He tried to suppress a yawn but unfortunately he wasn't successful, "Am I boring you?" Jen asked.

"Do you want an honest answer to that", the blue Time Force Ranger replied. His leader frowned and folded her arms across her chest, "Come on Jen, even you can't find this stuff very interesting", he added.

"No but it still needs to be done", Jen stated, "the incident with the Mut-Orgs shows that anything can happen. We need to be ready for anything".

"Forgive me for saying it but filing traffic tickets correctly isn't what we should be worried about", Eric stretched and slowly stood up. "I agree that we need to be ready so I'm going to spend some time on the shooting range".

"Eric come on we haven't got that long left", Wes said and looked at Jen, "I hope".

"Look I get it, this is boring and even I'll admit that", the pink ranger huffed, "but I still have to answer to Mr Collins and he insists on these meetings. So can we just finish this off and we can get onto something more interesting. After all you never know who's going to walk through that door".

"You can say that again", the Time Force Rangers turned around and saw three people, a man and two women in their early twenties, standing in the door way. One of the women had long brown hair and was wearing tight brown pants and a yellow blouse. The Hispanic male was dressed entirely in black and the other female had shoulder length blonde hair and was wearing black leather pants, a silver top and a black flight jacket, "Sorry to barge in but the guy on the front desk told us to come straight through", the one in yellow added.

Wes cast his eye over the three, he couldn't put his finger on it but they looked familiar, "So you guys are the Time Force Rangers", the man began, "we were all impressed with how you handled those monsters last year".

"Actually they were mutants", Trip replied.

"Trip", Jen hissed and glared at the three newcomers, "how do you know we're Power Rangers?"

"Hey chill out", the blonde held up her hands, "we're all rangers here", she added, "I'm Karone the silver Space Ranger, this is Carlos Vallerte the black ranger and Ashley Hammond the yellow ranger".

"No way", Wes approached the trio, "I thought I recognised you, this is a massive honour".

"Thanks", Ashley began, "but we're not here on a publicity tour, we're here to recruit you for a special mission".

Wes noticed that Ashley was only looking at him, "What me?"

"Yeah him?" Jen added in disbelief.

"An old enemy of the Power Rangers has unearthed a weapon that could destroy the planet", Carlos began, "we're helping to recruit a team consisting of all the previous red rangers to stop it".

"Hang on, why just the red rangers", Jen exclaimed, "Wes wasn't even the leader of the team".

"Thanks Jen, you made me look bad in front of the Space Rangers", Wes hissed in response.

"We're not sure why", Karone answered, "unfortunately we're not in charge of this mission", she added with a slightly bitter tone. She then turned back towards Wes, "So are you in?"

The Red Time Force Ranger didn't even have to think for a second, "A chance to go on a mission with the previous red rangers, count me in".

Ashley smiled, "Good, we'll be in touch once we have further details". The three Space rangers were about to leave when Eric cleared his throat loudly, "Something to add?"

"I just thought since you're recruiting red rangers you'd want me on board as well", the Quantum Ranger smiled.

"Eric you're not a red ranger", Katie snorted.

"My suit's red", he shot back, "just because I'm named tbe Quantum Ranger shouldn't make a difference".

"You're absolutely right", Carlos said, much to the surprise of his two team mates, "now you should both go and pack, the call could come at any moment". Eric gave the other Time Force rangers and arrogant smirk and left the room with Wes.

"Why did you do that?" Karone whispered to Carlos, "we were told only to ask Wes".

"I've heard about Eric's reputation", the black Space Ranger began, "it'll really piss Jason and Tommy off having to spend several days stuck with him".

The two women laughed, however, they was interrupted when Lucas snaked an arm around their shoulders, "I don't believe we've been introduced properly", he began with a smooth tone, "Lucas Kendall, blue ranger".

"Ashley Hammond and we're both very much taken", she smiled sweetly and removed his arm from her shoulder.

"Better luck next time", Karone added and lightly tapped him on the cheek, much to the amusement of the remaining Time Force Rangers.

 _Mirinoi_

"So that's the situation Leo", TJ's voice called out from the video screen, "I'll understand if you're not able to get here in time".

"Are you kidding", Leo Corbett replied, "I wouldn't miss this for the world. Plus the new wormhole system is finally ready to use. If I ask my brother nicely I might even be able to get a priority shuttle".

"Good I'll let Andros know", TJ began, "he's trying to reach Aurico on Aquitar so he might meet you on Mirinoi then you can both travel together". TJ adjusted himself slightly in his seat, "Can I tell you something Leo?"

The Red Galaxy Ranger frowned, "Anything buddy".

"It's a little weird being back in red", he indicated towards his t-shirt, "I had to go and buy this especially for the occasion".

Leo leaned back in his chair and laughed, "That's what you get for being greedy and having two sets of powers".

"It's not just that", TJ began, "the last time I was the Red Turbo Ranger, things didn't exactly end well".

"Maybe this is what you need to exercise those demons", Leo answered. Just then the door to his apartment opened, "I've gotta go, I've got the break the news to the other half".

TJ laughed, "From one red ranger to another, I wish you all the best", with that he shut down communications. Leo then turned towards his girlfriend Kendrix Morgan. After the pink Galaxy Ranger had been freed from Psycho Pink's control, Leo had taken Karone's advice and confessed his feelings to her and the pair had been together ever since. Kendrix was now responsible for integrating technology with the natural history of the forest planet. Leo's status as the red ranger made him almost certain to be elected the next chief of Mirinoi. Commander Stanton and his brother Mike still looked after Terra Venture which had been repaired and now doubled as extra accomendation for the Earthicans.

"Hey honey", Kendrix called out, she had several bags of shopping in her arms, "was that TJ you were speaking to?"

"Yeah it was", Leo replied, "something's come up on Earth and he wants my help".

Kendrix stopped putting the shopping away and closed the gap to her boyfriend, "Is this ranger related?" she asked.

Leo nodded, "Do you remember Serpenterra?"

"Vaguely, that was the massive dragon like zord belonging to Lord Zedd wasn't it?" Unlike Leo, Kendrix wasn't a native of Angel Grove so she didn't experience the repeated alien invasions first hand.

"Yeah that's the one", he answered, "the Machine Empire have found it and are about to launch an attack. All the red rangers are being assembled to destroy it once and for all". Kendrix nodded but didn't reply straight away, "Rixie, are you alright?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah", she replied hesitantly, "just a little apprehensive about you going".

"I don't have to, if that'll make you feel better", he grasped her hands and looked into her eyes.

Kendrix shook her head, "No you have to go", she took a deep breath, "just promise me you won't do anything reckless".

Leo placed his finger under her chin and gave her a kiss, "Don't worry I'll be surrounded by fellow rangers, what could possibly go wrong", he replied, "now I need to get some stuff together and speak to Mike about using the new wormhole".

The pink ranger gave him a weak smile and when he was about of ear shot, she muttered to herself, "Just come back safely to me".

 _Mariner Bay Fire Department_

Carter Grayson was extremely concerned as he sat by himself in the Fire Department's canteen. A couple of hours ago he received a call from Tommy Oliver telling him that Phil Spader of Hexagon was on his way over. He had heard of Spader by reputation but he had never spoken to the man. Tommy explained briefly about the mission but didn't explain why Spader was coming all the way to Mariner Bay to see him.

After defeating Queen Bansheera and her demons, Carter had returned to his job at the Fire Department _._ The extra attention he got due to his ranger status had gradually faded away until he was just one of the boys again. He had kept in touch with the other Lightspeed Rangers but they had also largely returned to their original lives. Strangely Captain Mitchell had dropped off the face of the Earth, not even Miss Fairweather knew how to get hold of him.

The one regret he did have was with his relationship with Dana Mitchell. The pair had been seeing each other off and on for the last couple of years but they had drifted away from each other in the last few months. He was busy at the FDMB and she was finishing off at medical school. They resolved to see how things went but right now, Carter wasn't feeling too optimistic.

"Ah Mr Grayson", Carter's head snapped up and saw a middle aged man in a dark suit, glasses and greying hair walking towards him, "I see you got my message".

"Philip Spader I presume", he replied, "forgive me for getting straight to the point but why are you here? Tommy's already briefed me about the threat".

"No apology needed Carter, I can call you Carter right?" the Red Lightspeed ranger nodded, "I appreciate someone who gets to the point". He took a deep breath, "The truth is Carter I need someone I can rely on for this mission, someone who can paint Hexagon in a good light".

Carter frowned, "I'm not sure I understand, you've got the two most senior red rangers coming with us".

"There is some tension between with Jason and Tommy on one side and the Red Turbo and Space Rangers on the other", Spader answered, "something to do with a bust up four years ago. I've told them to play nice but I think you know as well as I do that the peace might not last". Carter nodded slightly in agreement, he knew too well from the Fire Department that putting together two men who hated each other never ended well. "I'm sending you to bring in the Red Wild Force Ranger, Cole Evans. I want you to take him under your wing and show him how Hexagon Rangers should behave".

"I thought Wild Force turned us down Sir", Carter asked.

"Technically they never responded", Spader began, "perhaps they need a demonstration of what we've got to offer". He leaned forward and clasped his hands together, "If an argument breaks out, keep out of it and keep Cole away from it as well. Build up his confidence and allow him to experience how he would flourish with Hexagon's support".

Carter didn't respond for a moment, it sounds like Spader wanted him to manipulate the young man. Then again if Cole was a red ranger, surely he was smart enough to make his own decision about Hexagon, what was the harm in selling it a little bit more, "You can count on me Sir", he answered.

Spader smiled, "Good now I believe you've got a shift soon. I'll be in touch with the final meeting time", Carter nodded and shook the man's hand. The second Carter had left the room, Spader's smile fell and he reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a cell phone and dialled a number, "Spader here, Grayson's in". He waited for the person at the other end to respond, "No the idiot never even questioned me, he took it as an order from a superior and he'll follow like a good little soldier". Spader smiled and snapped his phone shut. He stood up, brushed his suit off and left the empty canteen.

 _ **A/N –**_ _That Spader character is a manipulative bastard isn't he? Sadly this is just the beginning of his reign of smooth talking terror..._


	4. Bad Feelings Creeping Up

_Chapter 4 – Bad Feelings Creeping Up_

 _October 1 2002 – NASADA Base, CA_

The Californian base of NASADA was small in comparison with some of the other facilities at Hexagon's disposal. The base consisted of one large hangar, a few outbuildings and a runway, all of which has been cleared for today's special launch. The call to assemble the team had been given by Tommy and the red rangers were making their way to this isolated part of California. Inside the hangar, Andros and TJ stood at the bottom of the Megaship's boarding ramp. At the side of the ship stood Storm Blaster, loaned to the Space Rangers by Charlie Stewart, the Blue Turbo Ranger, "I still don't see why we have to leave our ship", Cassie grumbled as she loaded a suitcase into the back of the jeep.

"I think it's for the best", Ashley replied, "I really don't want to spend several days stuck on a ship with ten other men".

"Three was bad enough", Karone added.

"Hey standing right here", TJ exclaimed.

Cassie smiled and walked across to her boyfriend, "Aww we're just teasing you Teej", she ran her hand down his chest and gave him a kiss, "I always thought you looked hot in red".

The sound of Storm Blaster's horn instantly broke the mood, "Come on ladies, we've got a long drive ahead of us", Carlos shouted from the driver's seat of the car.

"Yeah we won't be long, geez", Ashley shook her head and turned to face Andros, "promise me you'll try and return in one piece".

"I always promise you that Ash", the Red Space Ranger stated.

"Yeah and one day you'll keep that promise", she touched his shoulder that had been damaged during the skirmish with the Cogs. Andros winced at her touch, gritting his teeth against the pain, "Just be careful alright", Ashley stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Andros pressed his forehead against Ashley's, "Take care Ash, and tell Carlos not to drive like a maniac. I promised Charlie that she would have her car back in one piece". The yellow ranger chuckled and slowly backed away from Andros, reluctantly letting go of his hands. The two red rangers gave the rest of their team a final wave before Storm Blaster roared out of the hangar. Andros sighed and checked his morpher, "The others should be arriving soon", he said to TJ.

"Good because I'm itching to get this mission out the way", the Red Turbo Ranger sighed.

"Not enjoy your time back on Earth?" Andros asked.

"It was good to catch up with my parents", he began, "but I like our life back on Karovia. We've attracted a crowd everywhere we've gone", he paused for a brief moment, "now I know why we left the planet behind".

Andros nodded slowly as he could hear a vehicle approaching the hangar, "Well here we go and remember, we're one big happy ranger family", TJ snorted but reluctantly nodded in confirmation. A large black hummer pulled up inside the hangar and two people dressed in identical blue jumpsuits stepped out. One of them was wearing a red beret and the other a baseball cap, "You must be Wes", Andros shook the hand of the man in the beret, "and Eric too, this is a surprise".

"My buddy here isn't the only Time Force ranger to have a red suit", Eric smirked and shook the hands of the two Space Rangers, "plus I'm looking forward to the reactions of the Hexagon crew".

TJ laughed loudly, "I like you already Eric".

Before the quartet could get to know each other better, another hummer pulled up except this one was bright yellow. The man in the driver's seat nodded to Wes and Eric and grabbed an orange jacket out of the back. The other man was dressed in blue jeans, a red t-shirt and a red padded vest. His long black hair looked tangled and it was held in place with a torn piece of red cloth, "Afternoon gentlemen", Carter Grayson stated, "this is Cole Evans, Red Wild Force Ranger".

The man with the straggly black hair nodded shyly but his face brightened up when he saw the two Time Force Rangers, "Wes, Eric, good to see you", he greeted them warmly.

"I see you already know the Silver Guardians", Carter said. He looked at Eric and frowned, slightly surprised to see the Quantum Ranger, "Allow me to introduce the Red Turbo Ranger, Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson".

"Please call me TJ", the Red Turbo Ranger shook his hand, "no please do, it'll take you all day to say my full name", Cole laughed nervously at the joke, "and to my right is Andros, the Red Space Ranger". Andros smiled politely and shook the hand of the young man.

"So you're all red rangers", Cole began, "this is so cool".

"Most of us", Wes nudged his partner, "right Eric".

The Quantum Ranger grumbled at the jibe from his friend, "So where are the legends", he emphasised the last word of his sentence in sarcasm, "bit impolite to keep us waiting".

"Just a minor delay", Carter replied, "in fact I think that's them now". Another vehicle approached, this one a black SUV with darkened windows. It pulled up outside the hangar and Jason slowly got out of the passengers side, "Problems?" Carter asked.

"Picked up an additional passenger or two", the original red ranger stated. He then began to look at the assembled crew of red rangers. He paused at Eric's smiling face and resisted the urge to shake his head, "Some of you I recognise", he began, "others I'm not so familiar with". He stopped in front of Cole, "You must be the new guy".

"Hi I'm Cole", the Wild Force ranger held out his hand but Jason didn't shake it. Instead he patted him on the shoulder and walked by.

Cole's shoulders sagged but Carter whispered in his ear, "Ignore it, just a little bit of rookie hazing".

TJ snorted and mumbled, "Bullshit", under his breath.

"Something to say TJ", Jason frowned in his direction.

"Me", TJ tried his best to look innocent, "never said a word". He looked past the group and noticed Tommy standing by the SUV with a blonde haired female. In her arms was a small child who was only around a year old, "Perhaps we should give the legendary Tommy Oliver some quiet time", he nodded at the scene developing behind him. "Follow me fellow red rangers, I'll show you the living quarters".

"Just don't go in Karone's room", Andros added, "she'll kill us if anyone got into her stuff".

As the red rangers trooped onto the Megaship, Tommy was still standing next to the SUV, "Kat I'm sorry but I've got to go", he said to the blonde haired woman.

"So you keep saying Tommy", Kat replied, "in fact you've been saying that an awful lot recently". The harsh tone in her voice upset the child in her arms and he began to cry, "I'm sorry Ben but Daddy has to leave again for a while".

"Can we not have this conversation now", the Red Zeo Ranger sighed.

"That's your problem Tommy, later never comes with you", the former pink ranger stated, "when were you going to tell me about the assignment to Mercer Island?" Tommy looked sheepishly at the ground, "Yeah that's what I thought".

The sound of Jason's voice calling him from the Megaship grabbed Tommy's attention, "Look we'll talk about this when I get back", Tommy replied, "I promise".

Kat let out a deep sigh and continued to comfort their child, "Yeah, sure", without another word she entered the SUV and slammed the door shut. The vehicle drove away without another word being said.

"Bro we've got to go", Jason grabbed Tommy on the shoulder, "everything alright?"

"Yeah fine", Tommy said quickly, "best not keep the others waiting". He crossed the tarmac and headed for the Megaship, leaving a very concerned Jason far behind.

 _Astro Megaship_

The new version of the Megaship had an additional feature that the previous version didn't have, a strategy room. The original Megaship wasn't designed to be a long term base of operations but it was the only craft Andros could get his hands on during the siege of KO-35, forcing him and the other Space Rangers to improvise. When the Mark Two Megaship was commissioned, it was specifically designed to accommodate a fully team of rangers plus up to eight other guests for a year at a time. Fortunately due to the peace brought to the galaxy by Zordon's sacrifice none of the extra features had been used, until now.

"Leo and Aurico are on their way", Andros announced to the assembled red rangers. They sat around a circular table with small data pad in front of them, "Aurico was held up with some official business on Aquitar but they should be here in a few hours". The Red Space Ranger looked around and made a mental headcount, "No Rocky?" he asked.

"He couldn't make it", Jason stated, "how about you share with the others what you've found so far", he added, quickly changing the subject.

Andros turned around partially to activate the central viewing screen but he also did it to hide his smirk of satisfaction. There was no love lost between the pair and perhaps the mission would run smoother without his presence, "Before I begin does anyone need a recap about the Machine Empire", he asked.

Cole nervously raised his hand, "Who are the Machine Empire?"

"Have you been living on a desert island or something kid", "Eric snorted.

"No the rainforest", Cole replied without missing a beat, "news coverage isn't great out there".

"Alright for Cole's benefit", Tommy began, "the Machine Empire were the primary enemies of the Zeo Rangers". The viewing screen showed some images of the Empire's royal family as well as a few images of the Zeo Ranger's battles. "Until recently we thought they had all been destroyed, either during our final battle or by Zordon's energy wave".

"But they weren't all gone", TJ interrupted Tommy's monologue, "this is General Venjix and he's been slowly recruiting the remnants of the Empire and gathering them on the Moon".

The image then changed to show hundreds of Cogs evacuating the surface, "What are they digging for?" Wes asked.

"Serpenterra", Jason replied, "Lord Zedd's old zord", the screen showing a huge metal dragon flying over what they assumed was Angel Grove, "extremely dangerous but it had extremely poor gas mileage".

Cole whistled, "That's one big zord, so what's the plan to stop this thing".

"That's why we're here", Tommy began, "we need to come up with a sound strategy to stop this thing before it reaches Earth". The image changed to display a piece of machinery, "This is a Neo Plutonium reactor which we understand the Machine Empire is planning to use to power Serpenterra".

"A head on assault is out", Jason continued, "but if we can overload the reactor then it might just be enough to destroy Serpenterra for good".

Andros immediately frowned, "Do you know how dangerous that plan is?" He leaned across the table and looked directly at his fellow red ranger, "If that thing is damaged or shut down in the wrong order then it will send a radioactive cloud for millions of miles".

"We've seen the destruction a faulty Neo Plutonium reactor can do", TJ visibly shuddered, "a whole system was rendered inhabitable for several millennia when a reactor went critical". He too placed his hands on the table, "I'm happy to put my life at risk for the planet but you're talking about playing Russian Roulette with every single living thing on Earth".

"We've thought about that", Tommy interjected, "our scientists believe that if you remove the reactors core first then overload the power systems, it'll be completely safe".

Carter, Wes, Eric and Cole sat back whilst this argument was taking place, none of them knew anything about Neo Plutonium reactors but the scenario that TJ gave didn't sound particularly appealing, "Are we sure this is the best option", Wes began, "I mean Time Force has some impressive weapons, perhaps we could see what they suggest".

"There's not enough time", Jason replied, "based on the information the Space Rangers gave us, Serpenterra will be fully active within 48 hours from now".

"Then it sounds like have no choice", Cole said firmly, "what do we need to do?"

Eric leaned back in his chair and laughed, "Kid you've got balls, I've got to admire that".

"Stop calling me a kid", Cole shot back.

"Eric no one asked for your opinion", Jason added with venom.

The Quantum Ranger leaned forward, "Is that an order from the oh-so special original red ranger", his voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Knock it off Eric", Wes hissed.

"This isn't helping", Andros raised his voice over the burgeoning argument, "perhaps we'll have a few practice runs on the Simudeck to see if this will work". With no objections TJ stood up and led the others down to the Simudeck, "Eric", Andros called out and the Quantum Ranger stopped, "look I'm not their biggest fan either but we need to work together if this is going to work".

"I know but I'm not standing for any crap either", Eric replied, "I wanna save the Earth as much as they do but if they're going to be a bunch of dicks then I'm going to give as good as I get". The Quantum Ranger stood a little taller but kept his gaze on Andros, "Got a problem with that spaceman?"

When Andros didn't reply, Eric turned around and followed the others to the Simudeck. The Red Space Ranger sighed, he had a very bad feeling about all of this.

 _ **A/N –**_ _Everything's simmering away nicely and surely it's only a matter of time until someone snaps. You might've noticed I've lifted a few lines of dialogue directly from Forever Red, a little bit lazy but if it's not broken and all that._


	5. Thinking Is Derailed

_Chapter 5 – Thinking Is Derailed_

 _October 1 2002_

The walls felt claustrophobic as eight bodies moved down the narrow metal corridor as quickly as they could. Overhead a few lights flickered ominously, making their journey feel even more perilous than it already was. Steam suddenly poured out of a nearby vent causing all of the men to jump. One of them drew a weapon and took aim at the offending grate, "Cole, don't", Tommy hissed, "you'll give away our position". The Red Wild Force Ranger nodded and sheepishly reholstered his weapon as he and the others continued their journey.

"This should be the place", Jason held up his hand, signalling the others to stop. In front of the red rangers was a steel door that spanned the entire corridor, "The reactor should be behind this door".

"Now all we need to do is open it", Carter added. He inspected a nearby control panel but he came up empty handed, "No good, it's the temperature controls for the corridor".

"The door must open from the inside", Tommy sighed, "looks like we're going to need a little bit of brute force".

"Leave that to me", Jason summoned his Power Sword and wedged between the two halves of the door. Using all his strength he slowly began to prise the doors apart, "Quickly grab hold of the sides", he grunted. The other red rangers did as they were instructed and slowly pushed the doors apart.

"Everyone get through", TJ groaned, "otherwise the doors are going to close on us". The rangers scrambled through and they slammed shut behind the group, "Nice, real stealthy", the Red Turbo Ranger added. His comment earned a shake of the head from half the group.

Now they were through the door, the rangers could see the size of the task in front of them. At the far end of the room was a cylinder that stretched all the way to the ceiling. Sitting at their level was a circular chamber with a glowing object inside. All around them were banks of computers and several rod poking out into the room, "It's the reactors core alright", Eric nodded his head.

"Thanks for your input", Tommy said sarcastically before turning to Andros, "ever seen anything like this?" he asked.

"Not exactly", the Red Space Ranger replied, "but the layout looks fairly similar to the Megaship".

"Just a hell of a lot bigger", TJ added.

Andros moved over to one of the consoles and began to tap away, "A Neo Plutonium reactor is pretty small and this one should fit inside a suitcase", he said without taking his eyes off the screen. "The trouble is we need to make it stable enough to remove it from its housing".

"How do we do that?" Cole ased.

"By manipulating the control rods at the right time", Andros replied, "hopefully if I can get through the security protocols, we can start shutting the reactor down". He typed away for another couple of minutes but his concentration was broken by the sound of an alarm, "Shit, they've found us", he swore.

"I thought you said you could break their security", Jason said through gritted teeth.

"I can but we did count on a silent sensor on the door", Andros spat back.

"Doesn't matter", Eric pulled out his Quantum Defender and placed it into blade mode, "looks like we get to have some fun".

Behind his helmet, Tommy rolled his eyes, "You are a walking stereo type of a marine aren't you". Eric turned his head sharply towards the Red Zeo Ranger but he didn't get a chance to response. The doors burst open and several Cogs flooded through.

With his Spiral Sabre in hand, Andros quickly went to work against the Cogs. Using the rotating tip of his weapon, he drilled a hole through their chest compartment, sending their internal circuits flying. Standing by his shoulder was TJ with his Lightning Sword, "Been a while since I used this", he muttered to himself. His lack of practice with a blade showed as he missed with his first couple of swings. It was third time lucky for the Red Turbo Ranger when he cut through a Cog, splitting it down the middle.

"These things are no tougher than Cyclobots", Wes called over to his partner. Using his Chrono Blaster, Wes picked off the Cogs as they breached the door. One of them fell victim to an accurate head shot and its decapitated body crumpled to ground with sparks shooting out of the damaged cavity.

Eric snorted, "Yeah well watch this", he converted his Defender back into blaster mode and quickly took down two Cogs in quick succession. He then noticed another trying to sneak up behind Jason and quickly turned and fired. The laser round skimmed the original red ranger's shoulder before slamming into the Cog. Jason's head whipped around and saw the Quantum Ranger waving in his direction, "You're welcome", he called out before turning back to his own battle.

"I swear to God that man is testing my patience", Jason hissed. He took out his frustration by cut down a trio of Cogs in quickly succession.

"We're nearly done", Tommy reminded him, "just keep it together".

The rangers had automatically split themselves into four pairs which worked initially but it soon became clear that the pairs were operating independently of each other. No one was watching the others backs or looking at the overall situation. Soon sheer number began to overwhelm the rangers and they were getting attacked from all sides, "There's too many of them", Carter called out.

"Damn it", Andros hissed, "DECA stop simulation". The Cogs stopped fighting and slowly disappeared along with the reactor room, "That's the fourth simulation we've failed today", he added as he unclipped his helmet.

"What did I say about communication", Jason added, "if some Cogs get passed you them shout it out to the others".

TJ shook his head and placed his helmet under his arm, "Didn't hear you shouting", he grumbled.

"Maybe nothing got through us", the original red ranger added with a shrug.

"So this is our fault", TJ spat, "again".

"That's not what Jason's saying", Carter tried to calm the situation, "we just need to analyse what went wrong".

"The silent alarm on the door's new", Wes began, "how do we even know that Serpenterra has that?"

"We don't", Tommy began, "but it's best to be prepared for any situation".

"So what you're saying is that this was a complete waste of time", Eric rolled his eyes, "we could be doing all this training and the layout be totally different".

"The point is Eric", Jason spat out the Quantum Ranger's name, "is to prepare ourselves to work as a team".

"Then we're doomed", the Quantum Ranger snorted. Before someone could argue with him, he turned towards Cole, "What do you think new guy, what would you change?"

Cole nervously tapped the helmet in his hand and thought of a response. Truth be told he was a little bit intimidated by some of the other ranger's. He was sensitive to emotions and there were a lot of negative feelings rolling off some of his fellow ranger's. When Carter approached him about this mission, he was excited to meet his precessors, now he wasn't sure what to think. "Maybe we do need someone in overall charge", he finally said, "someone who can fight and keep an eye on the overall battlefield".

"Like a team quarterback", Jason added, "not a bad idea rookie". He clapped his hands together and moved into the middle to the others, "Alright we're going to try this again but this time I'll lead the way".

"Hang on a second", TJ protested, "who elected you as team leader?"

Jason shrugged, "I just thought it would be the best course of action".

"Because you're better than the rest of us", TJ replied, "change the damn record Jason. We've all led our teams at some point so all of us could be suitable choices".

"Apart from Wes and Eric", Tommy added, "they weren't team leader".

"Gee thanks for reminding me", Wes shook his head, "perhaps having a fresh pair of eyes like one of us", he pointed to Eric, "would do the team some good".

"I'm not following Eric", Jason snorted, "not in a million years".

Eric calmly placed his helmet on the ground and walked slowly over to Jason, "Got something to say to me", he began, "I did two tours in the Balkans and led a team of Marines. I think I can manage a couple of frat boys like you", he pointed to Jason and Tommy.

"Maybe if you weren't a thief I could believe that", there was a collective gasp from the others as Eric looked towards the floor. Suddenly the Quantum Ranger pushed Jason in the chest, knocking him into the wall, "Sucker punches aren't very becoming of Marines", Jason snorted.

"Consider that a warning", Eric slowly backed away, "next time I won't go so easy on you".

"Guys can we just take a minute to cool off", Cole pleaded with everyone, "lets remember why we're here".

Tommy pointed at the Red Wild Force Ranger, "Stay out of this Cole".

"See some things never change", TJ began, "the mighty originals lording over everyone else. At least we can keep our team together unlike some".

Having recovered from Eric's shove, Jason stepped in front of the Red Turbo Ranger, "And what's that suppose to mean?"

"I think you know", TJ smirked, "I heard that Trini and Billy have gone AWOL from your little project, that should tell us everything about your leadership skills".

Tommy moved forward until he was practically nose to nose with TJ, "You don't know what you're talking about". The Red Turbo Ranger's lips rose slightly, knowing that he had hit a nerve.

"So you don't like thieves Jason", Andros directed at the original red ranger, "I suppose Karone falls into that category".

"You said that Andros not me", Jason glared at the Space Ranger, "maybe even you think it's true, you're the one who brought it up". There was a stand off in the middle of the room between the quartet with Eric close behind waiting to pounce. Andros's fists were clenched tightly and he bit down hard on his lip, "What are you going to do space man, hit me?" he snarled, "you don't have the stones".

Suddenly the room echoed to a loud crack as Jason was knocked onto his backside. He touched the side of his face gingerly and spat some blood out onto the floor. "That was a mistake TJ", he growled as the Red Turbo Ranger stood over him, shaking his hand in pain. Jason crouched down and drove his shoulder into TJ's midsection, sending him tumbling to the ground. He followed up with a solid punch to the gut of the African-American man.

Infuriated, Eric grabbed Jason by the back of the neck and hauled him to his feet, "Now who's sucker punching". Quick as a viper the Quantum Ranger's fist crashed into Jason's ribs, drawing a gasp of pain from the original red ranger. The pair immediately began to brawl and were soon joined by TJ, eager to get some revenge on Jason.

It didn't take long for Andros, Tommy and Wes to get drawn into their friend's fight soon all six of them were scrapping away on the floor of the Simudeck. The brawl had mutated into a pushing contest but that still didn't stop Cole and Carter from looking on in despair, "What the hell is going on here", a loud voice called out.

The six brawling rangers stopped and immediately turned to the entrance where a horrified Leo and Aurico were standing, "I can't believe what I'm seeing", Aurico shook his head sadly.

Leo though was fuming, "We've come a very long way to help you guys", he began, "but instead of fighting the Machine Empire, you're trading blows with each other". Jason was bleeding from the mouth and severely from the nose. Andros, Tommy and Wes all had several bruises emerging on their faces and Eric had an impressive black eye forming. TJ hunched over and held onto his ribs, "I'm disgusted with all of you and if Zordon was here I'm sure he would be as well".

The mention of Zordon's name caused the others to bow their heads in shame, "I suggest you go and clean up", Aurico suggested, "preferably in separate rooms". The six trudged out slowly, all of them with their gaze fixed on the floor, "I'll go with them, just to ensure we don't get a repeat of that vulgar display", the Red Aquitian Ranger added.

"At least you two are sensible", Leo sighed, "good to see you again Carter and you must be Cole", the newest red ranger nodded slowly, "perhaps you can tell me what happened". The pair slowly began to recall how a small argument had descended into a mass brawl and with each sentence, Leo began to despair. Given the history between some of the group, he knew that it could be a volatile mixture but he wasn't excepting a fight to break out. As Carter and Cole finished their tail the Red Galaxy Ranger had only one question on his mind, where did they go from here?

 _ **A/N –**_ _The big brawl, it's been coming and it was TJ who threw the first punch. Maybe wasn't too much of a surprise that Eric was stirring the pot. Next time, the fall out and it's not just the other red's that are angry about the fight..._


	6. Ain't No Turning Back

_Chapter 6 – There Ain't No Turning Back_

 _October 2 2002 – Turtle Cove, WA_

Inside a local coffee shop, two women collected their takeaway drinks and picked their way through the busy crowd. One of the women, a blonde, glared when someone bumped into her, spilling a small amount of her drink over the top of the plastic lid. The brunette woman gently tugged on her friend's arm and pulled her outside before she could start an argument, "Easy Taylor, you don't need to go all commando on the guy", the brunette stated.

"You don't spill an airman's coffee Jen", Taylor replied, "that's the golden rule for survival in the Air Force".

On the surface Jen Scotts and Taylor Earhardt seemed like two people that wouldn't get along. Both of them had a no nonsense attitude that rubbed some people the wrong way and they should've clashed repeated with each other. Instead there was a mutual respect between the Pink Time Force and the Yellow Wild Force rangers. After their meeting during the Mut-Org incident a few weeks ago, the pair had become fast friends. Most of their conversations usually involved Eric Myers and Taylor's frustration with the Quantum Ranger. Jen was still surprised that Taylor and Eric had hooked up, all they seemed to do was bicker with each other.

With Cole away with the other red rangers, Taylor was in temporary charge of the Wild Force rangers. Her first decree was that someone needed to backup the team as they were a member short and Jen was the first person she thought of. Since her two senior field officers were away and business was quiet, the Pink Time Force Ranger quickly agreed.

The pair had walked some distance away from the coffee shop and with Taylor's temper seemingly back under control, Jen took the opportunity to resume their earlier conversation, "So what do you think the mighty red rangers are up to?" she asked.

Taylor snorted, "A tin can full of men, probably drinking beer and watching sports". The pair reached a bench and took a seat, "I dunno, hopefully nothing stupid", the yellow ranger added.

"Is that a possibility, I mean this is a serious mission", Jen replied.

"You've met Eric right", Taylor raised an eyebrow before turning her attention to her coffee, "I don't think she put caramel in my latte", she grumbled.

Jen placed her hand on Taylor's wrist and slowly lowered the coffee cup, "Taylor I know it's early but can you think about something other than coffee", Taylor grumbled and reluctantly placed the lid back on her cup. Satisfied that her friend's attention was back on their conversation Jen continued, "Are you worried about Cole?"

"That big lug survived a plane crash as a kid and has lived in a jungle, I think he'll survive a few days away from Earth". Jen frowned at Taylor, "Alright yes I'm worried about him", the yellow ranger placed her coffee cup on the floor, "Cole isn't like us Jen, he hasn't been hardened by the world".

"I'm not sure where you're going with this", Jen stated.

"Don't get me wrong, he's a tough fighter but he's too naive about the modern world", Taylor paused for a moment, "he's far too trusting and I'm worried that without us, he'll get led astray". The yellow ranger bent down, grabbed her cup and took a quick drink, "We've had Hexagon sniffing around us again".

Jen stiffened slightly at the mention of the ranger organisation, "And?"

"None of us are really opposed but at the same time we're a little indifferent", Taylor began, "personally I think it could help my career and they've offered to pay Alyssa's college fees", Taylor's voice began to trail off.

"You know our stance but don't let that cloud your judgement", Jen replied, "if you think it'll help you then do it but you need to agree as a team".

"And that's what I'm worried about", Taylor sighed, "Cole's all for it and I think they could use this separation as an excuse to get him to sign the contract".

Jen nodded slowly, "He seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, I'm sure he won't do anything rash", she gave Taylor a small smile in an attempt to reassure the yellow ranger. Their conversation was interrupted by a buzzing sound from Jen's morpher. The two women stood up immediately and found a quiet spot to answer the call. When Jen did, she got a nasty surprise, "Wes?" she asked, "what happened to your face?"

On the holographic image Jen could see a huge plaster on the left side of Wes's shape. She could also see some bruising under his eye, "Hey Taylor, good to see you again".

"Don't change the subject Wesley Collins", Jen snapped.

The Red Time Force Ranger bit his lip before answering, "There was a bit of an incident".

Taylor groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Is Eric there with you?" Wes nodded in confirmation. The yellow ranger grabbed Jen's wrist and moved the morpher in front of her face, "Eric Myers get your ass on this communicator right now". There was a brief pause before Eric's face appeared and he was in a worst state than Wes. He had a huge black eye that was so swollen that his eye was almost closed, "Holy shit Eric you look awful", she exclaimed.

"You should see the other guy", Eric shrugged nonchalantly.

Jen manoeuvred her head into line with her morpher, "There better be a really good story behind this", she began, "if there isn't then tell Wes he's sleeping on the sofa for the next month". The pair could see Eric visibly gulp and they instantly knew they weren't going to like this story.

 _Astro Megaship_

In his quarters Jason was counting the cost of the brawl in the mirror. The cuts and bruises would soon heal thanks to accelerated ranger healing but that wasn't his main concern. He pulled his lips apart and poked his tongue into a gap where one of his teeth used to be, "Give TJ some credit, he has a powerful punch", he heard Tommy joke from the doorway.

"This isn't funny", Jason replied, "I don't know what's bruised more, my face or my ego".

Tommy shook his head and closed the door behind him. The Red Zeo Ranger grabbed a chair and took a seat, "This isn't like you Jason, you're temper's been getting worse over the last few months".

The original red ranger leaned on the sink for support and stared at the floor, "Only months", he began, "it feels like so much longer". He reluctantly sat down on his bed and made sure that he didn't look at Tommy, "I've not been sleeping well".

"You're not the only one", Tommy stated but Jason quickly waived him away.

"This has been going on for a while", Jason sighed and reached under his bed. He found a bottle of pills and tossed them at his best friend, "They're the strongest I can get but even they've stopped helping".

"Sleeping pills", Tommy frowned, "how long have you been taking these for?"

"Pretty much since the beginning", Jason replied, not offering any further explanation.

"The beginning of what?" Tommy probed, "beginning of the year", Jason shook his head. Suddenly Tommy realised what Jason was trying to say, "Since you became a ranger?" his friend nodded, "That's nearly ten years bro". Tommy looked at the bottle in his hand and then at Jason, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"That the mighty red ranger couldn't sleep at night due to his horrific nightmares", Jason snorted, "probably due to male pride to begin with. As each year passed, it gradually became harder until I almost forgot what it was like before the dreams started".

"But we could've helped you", Tommy pleaded. The Red Zeo Ranger too had been plagued with many sleepless nights and he knew that Kat still had the occasional ranger related nightmare. Both of them chose to focus on themselves and their son rather than let the nightmares consume them.

"No you couldn't", Jason spat back, "I was meant to be the strong one, the leader. I couldn't burden everyone else with this when they were dealing with their own shit".

There was a very loud silence in the room for a few moments as Tommy tried to process this information, "Why tell me now?" he said with a quiet whisper.

Jason leaned back and looked at Tommy for the first time, "Because I think I've hit rock bottom", he began, "Leo was right, Zordon would be appalled with our behaviour".

"We're all just as guilty for that fight", Tommy tried to reassure Jason.

"But I just had to stir the pot didn't I", Jason cried, "I know that Andros is sensitive about his sister, TJ thinks we look down on him and Eric is a highly combustible person but still I kept kicking that hornet's nest". Silence again descended on the room as Jason held his head in his hands, "Maybe this is what I needed, hitting the bottom like this".

"Don't worry bro, we'll be there for you every step of the way", he reached over and clasped his friend on the shoulder.

"Thanks man", Jason gave him a weak smile, "do you think they'll forgive me".

"Probably", Tommy began, "Andros and TJ will, can't speak for Eric though".

Jason nodded, "I don't really hate them, in fact I'm a little envious", Tommy frowned so he continued, "Andros got what he wanted, he found Karone and made a new home for himself, TJ's extremely successful on Karovia and Eric's such a driven person that he's achieved all the goals he set himself before reaching 25".

"Even if his method was questionable?" Tommy asked.

"Nothing honourable about the monsters we face", he shrugged, "and he's proven himself on more than one occasion". Tommy nodded and the pair fell into silence again but this time it was a little bit more comfortable. For the first time in a while, Jason could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the adjoining quarters Carter was using the video link to talk with Phil Spader back on Earth, "How are things today Carter?" the executive asked.

"Pretty quiet sir", he replied, "Leo took control of the situation and confined those involved in the fight to their quarters. Myself, Leo, Aurico and Cole have been doing some strategic planning in preparation for the assault tomorrow".

Spader nodded slowly, "And how is Mr Evans dealing with the situation".

Carter sighed, "I won't lie sir, he's a little overwhelmed with everything".

That comment drew a loud sigh from Spader and he leaned back in his chair, "I'm going to be honest with you here Carter I'm concerned, in fact the entire board is concerned". That comment hung in the air but the Red Lightspeed Ranger didn't respond, "You're fortunate that this happened away from the spotlight and no immediate action could be taken. The foolish actions of your fellow rangers could've lost us a valuable opportunity".

"Serpenterra will be destroyed Sir", Carter said firmly.

"That's not what I'm talking about", Spader frowned, "this could've cost us the chance to add the Wild Force Ranger to our roster". Cater frowned at the comment, feeling that he was slightly missing the point of this mission but he decided that Spader was in a foul enough mood already and kept silent. "Cole Evans is an idealist", Spader continued, "he sees the world in black and white. Watching a group of supposed good guys fighting over their petty differences is not going to convince him to sign the contract".

"What if we showed him that he's important", Carter quickly interjected, "one of TJ's complaints is that the old guys overlooked him and his team when the Turbo Rangers started out".

Spader moved towards the screen, "Go on".

"We're going to vote on the squad leader tomorrow", Carter continued, "if I can convince the others that Cole is the right person for the job, it'll show him that it doesn't matter how experienced you are, you can still make a difference".

There was a brief moment of silence as Spader thought about this. A broad grin eventually appeared on his face, "That's brilliant Carter, have you ever thought about a career in politics". Carter stiffly shook his head, "We might just be able to salvage this after all, report back after the meeting tomorrow".

The line went dead and Carter rubbed his face in a mixture of frustration and relief. Life was so much easier when his orders were simple to follow and didn't involve engaging in subterfuge and a psychological game of chess. He would be extremely happy once this mission was over and he could return to the relatively quiet world of the Fire Department. He stood up quickly and headed for the bridge, the sooner a plan was in place, the quicker he could go home.

 _ **A/N -** Oh Carter, you're being played like a fiddle aren't you. Now Jason's situation, it surprises me that there are very few stories that touch on PTSD or similar conditions. The rangers are strong but it doesn't change the fact they were kids when they first took up the power. I've attempted to incorporate some of that in this chapter and I'll be honest, I'm satisfied with how it turned out but not overly happy, I just couldn't think of a way to make it better. _


	7. Forever Red

_Chapter 7 – Forever Red_

 _October 3 2002 – The Moon_

A bright red light filled a dark corner of the old Moon Palace as the red rangers teleported down from the Astro Megaship. At the head of the pack was Cole Evans, still slightly bemused at being appointed the squad leader for the assault. "Looks like some kind of factory", Wes whispered from his position near the back of the queue.

The Red Time Force Ranger was correct, the group had landed at the edge of a large room with a golden colouring floor. There were several large machines doted around which looked like they had been cobbled together from pieces of scrap metal. In the far corner they could see a ramp that led down to the planet's surface, "They look like the remains of the mining equipment that Psycho Red and Yellow left behind", TJ stated.

"Why were two Psycho Rangers mining on the Moon", Carter asked.

"A demented plan of Psycho Red's", Andros replied, "he used the magical residue that was underneath the surface to give himself a power boost".

"Any chance that Venjix has done the same thing?" Tommy questioned the Red Space Ranger.

Andros thought this for a moment, "Unlikely, Red mined the place to exhaustion. Plus he blew up the excavation zone in an attempt to kill us".

"Good times", TJ smiled, "we need to get through as quickly and as silently as we can".

Cole nodded in agreement and slowly looked around the corner. Unfortunately he could see that they were completely surrounded. There were Cogs up on the raised gantry that went around the room along with several guarding the exit. The second they left their sheltered spot, they would be seen, "What's it look like rookie", Jason whispered to the Red Wild Force Ranger.

"Not good", he began, "there's Cogs up top that will instantly alert their friend's to our presence".

A few silent looks were exchanged between the red rangers and they were all thinking the same thing, they were trapped, "Alright Cole, so what's the plan?" Tommy asked.

For a brief moment, Cole had a 'deer in the headlights' expression appear across his face. Their infiltration was not going the way they practiced and he was found himself wondering how he ended up in this position.

 _Flashback – 4 hours ago_

"I'm sorry you want me to what?" Cole exclaimed.

After their enforced period of separation, all of the red ranger's gathered in the situation room to discuss their options. The day that had been lost to allow their tempers to cool proved costly as the Megaship's sensors showed that the Neo Plutonium had been activated. It was only a matter of time until Serpenterra was free and flying towards Earth. That meant that the rangers needed to act and quickly.

There was a quickly round of silent and murmured apologies, some more genuine than others, when the red rangers reconvened that morning. Ironically the fight had released some of the tension amongst the group and they agreed to at least remain civil with each other until the end of the mission. A hasty plan of attack which involved a small strike team that tackle the tricky task of neutralising the reactor whilst the rest kept the Cogs and the Generals at bay. All they needed now was a team leader and to everyone's surprise, Carter immediately nominated the newest red ranger. "It's the only sensible option", the Red Lightspeed Ranger explained, "like it or not, all of us have our formed our sides and are dealing with our own issues. The only truly neutral person we have is Cole".

"He's right", Leo added, "if the rest of us gave an order there's a chance that someone wouldn't listen to it".

Tommy leaned back in his chair and sighed, "How has it come to this, that a group of rangers can't trust each other?"

"That's something we'll have to worry about later because we're running out of time", Jason added before looking at Cole, "what do you say rookie, are you ready for this?" Cole looked around at the expectant faces of his peers and nodded slowly in agreement.

 _Present_

For the second time that day, Cole saw that expectant look on his fellow red rangers faces. They were looking to him to come up with a great plan to evade the Machine Empire's welcoming committee. Unfortunately for them, he only had one idea, "We're going to have to charge in", he stated.

Eric chuckled, "I knew I liked you kid", he stretched his arms slightly, "sometimes the brute force approach is the only option".

"But we're going to be clever about it", Cole interrupted the Quantum Ranger, "Carter you're the best one with a blaster so I need you up top providing cover", the Lightspeed Ranger nodded in confirmation, "take Andros and Aurico with you, they'll be the best to help you clear a path".

"What about the rest of us?" Tommy asked.

"Like Eric said, sometimes brute force is the only option", Cole smiled.

"We need to do this quickly", Jason added, "or at the very least we need to stop them from reaching Serpenterra".

"Everyone know what they're doing?" Cole said and everyone nodded in agreement. He thrust his fist forward and one by one, the other red ranger's followed suit. There was one final defiant nod before the ten red rangers charged into the room.

Carter, Andros and Aurico immediately headed for the staircase, knocking Cogs out the way in the process. The attack had come so quickly that the footsoldiers didn't have any time to react. Aurico had called on his Aquitar Blade and cut down the first wave of troop that were coming down the stair. With a quick thrust of his blade, he pierced the chest compartment of the Cog nearest to him.

Andros breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the top of the stairs, now he was on a flat surface he could bring his martial arts into play. He sprinted for the corner of the gantry and nailed a dropkick on the Cog guarding the area. With the metal man broken into pieces, he kicked a couple of parts into the faces of a couple of his friends that were heading his way. In their confusion, the Cogs caught the pieces of their fallen comrade leaving them open to Andros's attack. He grabbed hold of a supporting pole and swung around, knocked them over the edge and down to the ground, "I think that's the last of them", he called out to the other two.

"Great I should be able to pick them off from here", Carter replied. He took aim at several Cogs on the floor below and fired off four consecutive shots. All of his shots pierced the Cogs through the head, instantly disabling them.

"Good shooting", Aurico praised his fellow red ranger. The Aquitian held his position on the staircase, preventing anyone from reaching his colleague. That didn't stop six Cogs from trying though, "Good thing I'm well hydrated", he muttered to himself as a small water sphere formed in his hand. He tossed it into the air and using the flat end of his sword, he knocked it into the oncoming robots. The water overloaded their electronics and the Cogs tumbled back down the stairs in a shower of sparks.

"That's a new trick", Andros said to Aurico, he now had an Astro Blaster in hand and was helping Carter provide covering fire to the other red rangers.

"Unlike dogs, old Aquitians can be taught new tricks", Aurico joked.

Down on the floor the remaining seven red rangers were ploughing through the remaining footsoldiers. They were kept on their toes by the laser fire coming in from the gantry but they had to trust that Carter and Andros wouldn't shoot to near to them. Despite the animosity between the Red Space Ranger and the two oldest rangers, they did trust him enough not to shoot them. Discarding his leather jacket, Jason charged in against a pair of Cogs and quickly dispatched them with a split leg kick, "Feels good to finally get out of the training room", he said.

"Tell me about it", Tommy replied as he decapitated a Cog with a tornado kick. He ducked underneath a punch from another robot and kicked it straight in the stomach. It hit the nearby wall and broke apart on impact, "I forgot how much fun it was taking these things apart".

Tommy was so busy congratulating himself that he didn't notice a Cog sneaking up behind him with its weapon ready to fire. Just as it fired, its arm was knocked away by the timely boot of the Red Turbo Ranger. Tommy looked around as the shot crashed harmlessly into the ceiling. TJ completed the job by ripping the head off the metal man and slamming it into the ground. "Thanks TJ", Tommy wheezed and he extended his hand, "I owe you one".

There was a brief hesitation but TJ quickly accepted the gesture, "You're welcome, now let's finish the job", he added with a small smile. Tommy was slightly surprised by TJ's change of attitude but there would be plenty of time after this was all over to ask him about that.

On the other side of the room, Leo and Wes were standing back to back with several Cogs coming towards them, "So you live on another planet", Wes said, punching a Cog in the chest in the process, "what's that like?"

Leo hit another Cog with a spin kick, knocking its head loose, "Quite similar to Earth actually just loads more trees". A straight kick to the stomach disabled another metal man, "I hear that you're girlfriend's from the future, that's a little different".

"Didn't yours come back from the dead", Wes kept his focus on an oncoming Cog, ducking out the way at the last second. He grabbed a discarded metal pipe from the floor and rammed it through the chest of his attacker.

"Her body was merged with the remains of a psychopathic AI suit", Leo replied, "technically she wasn't dead". He swept the legs out from underneath another Cog and it hit the ground hard. A swift punt later and its head was completely detached. It crashed through the chest of another footsoldier, permanently disabling it.

A few feet away, Cole was picking up on the conversation between the Red Galaxy and Time Force Rangers, "How can they be discussing things like that so casually?" he said.

"Trust me kid, their story barely scratch the surface of weird Ranger related shit", Eric replied. The Quantum Ranger flipped away from a pair of Cogs but surprised them by jumped straight back in their direction. A spinning kick smashed their chest compartments and the smell of melting circuits filled the air, "Cole watch your six", Eric called out.

Cole wasn't overly familiar with Eric's military speak but even he knew that meant something was coming up behind him. Without turning around he unleashed a straight kick that took the head off an approaching Cog, "You didn't call me kid", Cole said to the Quantum Ranger.

"Think you've grown out of that nickname", he clapped the Red Wild Force Ranger on the shoulder. He looked around the room and let out a low whistle, "We've really made a mess haven't we". The floor was covered with left over part that used to belong to the Cogs but the good news for the rangers was that none of them were still active.

"That's why we don't get invited to many parties", Tommy joked, "is everyone alright?"

"A few bruises but nothing major", Andros stated as he, Carter and Aurico joined them from their high vantage point.

"Good then let's move out", Cole said to the rest of the team.

The ten red rangers ran down the ramp and down on to the Moon's surface where they were confronted by the last five Generals of the Machine Empire, "I see my Cogs failed to slow you down", Venjix sighed.

"Yeah just like old times", Tommy smiled.

"Do you really think you can stop me", Venjix said with an air of menace.

"Please your last attempt to attack the Earth was stopped by three geeks with a laptop", Jason snorted. Venjix had tried to upload a virus to the Earth's computers which was called Mean Screen. Fortunately his attempted were stopped by Xander, Billy and Trini using their hacking knowledge and the High School's network.

"That will not happen again", Venjix roared and pulled out a small box. He pushed a couple of buttons and Serpenterra's eyes blinked into life, "behold my personal zord of destruction".

"We need to stop him from getting into Serpenterra", Cole said to the others and pulled out a small cell phone. He then noticed the other red ranger's preparing their various morphing devices.

"You read our minds rookie", Jason smiled and thrust his Power Morpher forward, "It's Morphin' Time, Tyrannosaurus".

"Zeo Ranger V, Red"

"Shift Into Turbo"

"Let's Rocket"

"Go Galactic"

"Lightspeed, Rescue"

"Time For Time Force"

"Quantum Power"

"Wild Access"

The Machine Empire Generals had to shield their eyes as a bright red flash of energy burst out from the ten human. When the light cleared there were ten red rangers standing in front of them, determined that the Earth would not fall that day. The Generals prepared their various weapons, the battle for control of Serpenterra was about to begin.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	8. Coming In For The Kill

_Chapter 8 – Coming In For The Kill_

 _ **Previously -**_ _The Machine Empire Generals had to shield their eyes as a bright red flash of energy burst out from the ten human. When the light cleared there were ten red rangers standing in front of them, determined that the Earth would not fall that day. The Generals prepared their various weapons, the battle for control of Serpenterra was about to begin._

"Alright I'm going to stop Venjix from getting to Serpenterra", Cole declared, "everyone else split into pairs and choose a General". The other rangers nodded and split up to pick their opponent with Jason joining Cole in chasing after Venjix.

Automon was probably the strongest General outside of Venjix himself. His body was predominately black with orange patches on his arms, legs and chest. His head was also orange with a silver face plate and a couple of antennae on top of his head. He could be considered as the Venjix of his time, a powerful warrior that got a bit too strong for King Mondo's liking. That was over a century ago and his skills had gotten rusty since then but he still talked a good game, "Careful rangers, I'm too much for you to handle", he taunted.

"We'll see about that", Leo replied and pulled out his weapon, "Quasar Saber".

"I like your style", TJ added, "Turbo Lightning Sword".

The General chuckled and a burst of fire erupted in front of him. A large orange bladed sword appeared in his hand, "Fire strike", he called and a stream of fire shot towards the two rangers.

Underneath their helmets, Leo and TJ's eyes widened and they quickly rolled out the way. Leo immediately got to his feet, "Two can play at that game", his Saber began to smoke as he channelled his own fire power into his blade. The two weapons met with a blaze of fire and the excess energy slammed into the dirt either side of Leo and Automon. Both warriors put either through at test of strength as they tried to gain the upper hand. The robot General pushed Leo away and kicked him in the gut, finally putting some distance between them. The orange bladed sword came crashing towards the Red Galaxy Ranger but Leo was quick enough to roll out the way, "Gotta be quicker than that", he taunted.

"Try this on for size", Automon cried and unleashed several small fire bursts from the tip of his blade. Leo stood tall and deflected all of them away. He kept moving forward and was soon within striking distance of the General. Automon tried to fire again but Leo struck his sword at the exact same time, causing a strong reverberation that broke the General's sword in half, "My sword", he roared.

Automon barely had time to mourn the loss of his sword when he was struck across his chest multiple times in quick succession. He couldn't see the source of the attack until the red shaped blur stopped moving, revealing the Red Turbo Ranger, "What do you say Leo, shall we put this guy out of his misery?" TJ called out.

"Thought you'd never ask", Leo chuckled and charged up his Quasar Saber. The two red rangers were on opposite sides of the General and they attacked from their different positions. A red wave was propelled by Leo as TJ charged with his sword ready and spun through the General with a vicious cut. Automon's chest sparked and he split in half through the waist, the two different parts exploding on impact with the ground.

Up on a cliff overlooking the excavation site, Andros and Carter were engaged with General Steelon, a black and silver bodied robot with a fly like visor and oversized golden shoulder pads. Steelon used a pair of blasters to pins the red rangers behind a large rock, "We can't stay behind here forever", Carter said.

Andros looked around and suddenly had an idea, "I'm going to draw his fire, once he's distracted don't stop blasting him".

Carter nodded pensively and he wished that the Red Space Ranger had given him more details about his plan. He was surprised when Andros burst from their hiding spot and ran to the edge of the cliff with his Astro Blaster ablaze. He managed to land a few shots before diving sideways off the edge, "No!" Carter called out. Steelon was shocked for a moment that Andros had seemingly thrown himself off the cliff and that gave Carter the opening he needed. The Lightspeed Ranger vaulted over the top of the rock and unleashed a barrage from his Rescue Blaster. The stunned General had no defence to barrage of laser fire and soon both of his weapons were disabled.

"Please have mercy", Steelon pleaded, "I was exiled for being too weak, I'm not a fighter". Carter thought he heard a hint of regret in Steelon's voice and slowly lowered his blaster. Suddenly a sharp blade sprang out of the General's arm and he swung at Carter, catching him on the chest. Sparks flew off of the red ranger's suit as he was pushed back towards the cliff face, "Stupid human", Steelon spat as he raised his arm up, "robot's don't beg for mercy".

The Red Lightspeed Ranger braced for the impact but it never came as something sliced through Steelon's arm. Carter looked up and saw Andros flash overhead on his Galaxy Glider with his Spiral Saber in hand, "I thought robots were meant to be smart", Andros taunted, "that's twice in a week you've fallen for that trick".

Steelon looked at the remains of his arm and oil spurted out from the stump. Carter slowly got to his feet and picked up his blaster, "Please you wouldn't shoot an unarmed robot would you?" Steelon stuttered.

"Normally I wouldn't", Carter began, "but you attacked me when my defences were down". Carter fired a continuous stream of energy from his weapon that pushed Steelon over the edge and into the Valley below. The General smashed into the ground, broke into several pieces before bursting into flames. Andros floated down next to his colleague and looked on with a sense of satisfaction.

Near the bottom of the cliff, Eric and Aurico were struggling to slow down the General known as Tezzla. Almost exclusively white bodied, Tezzla had a distinctively feminine shape and that explained her banishment from the Empire. Rumour around the court was that Tezzla had caught the eye of King Mondo, much to the jealously of Queen Machina. She was banished to the far corner of the galaxy on a trumped up charge of treason just before the Empire moved towards Earth. A psychically weak but clever fighter, she was wielding an electric whip against the ranger duo.

Aurico was cartwheeling down the soft surface with Eric sliding down close behind. The pair landed at the foot of the hill in a heap with the female General looming over the top of them, "I'm open to suggestion here waterboy", Eric growled.

"Must you assign nicknames to everyone", Aurico sighed, "we need to neutralise that weapon of hers".

"Gee really", Eric shook his head and tried to think of a plan. As he was doing that he silently cursed Alex and Time Force for taking some of his toys away. Once Ransik was imprisoned, Time Force had blocked access to his Battle Armour as well as Wes's Battlizer, their logic being that they didn't want too many toys from the future kicking around in the present day when there wasn't a major threat for them to deal with. Just then Eric looked up and saw a loose pile of rocks just above the General, "I've got an idea", Eric stated and he unleashed a barrage from his Quantum Defender.

Tezzla ducked slightly and was surprised to see the Quantum Ranger's shots fly over her head. Moments later she felt the ground begin to shake under her feet and a few pebbles rolled past her feet. She turned around and several large boulders were flying in her direction. Despite her slender appearance in comparison with the other Generals, Tezzla was still heavy on her feet. She tried to move as quickly as possible but the larger rocks caught up with her and smashed into her chassis. The General was so distracted that she didn't notice that she was heading straight towards the Red Aquitar Ranger and his blade. A quick swipe took her arm off and the shoulder and she crashed to the ground in a heap.

The two rangers stood over the fallen General as she inspected the remains of her chassis. Several sparks were flashing off her body and numerous panels were dented and missing, "Please I never wanted to do this", Tezzla began, "I don't have long left, please make this quick". Eric and Aurico looked at each other and the Quantum Ranger reluctantly prepared his blaster. Aurico turned away, even though Tezzla was a robot she was still a sentient beings and he didn't want to see it end this way for her. There was a single blast and moments later Eric walk past him, neither of them said a word or looked behind them.

Near the entrance to the factory, Wes and Tommy had cornered the fourth General, Gerrok. The green bodied robot had a head shaped like a beetle and fought with a pincer like weapon that tried to crush the two red rangers. The weapon locked on tight around Wes's lower body and the Time Force ranger struggled to get himself free, "Hang on Wes", Tommy called out, "Zeo V Power Sword". A bladed weapon appeared in his hand and he sliced Gerrok across the chest, freeing Wes from his grasp, "You still good?"

"Oh yeah", Wes wheezed, "might have a few bruises in the morning", he then turned his attention to the wounded General, "so why did Mondo get rid of you?"

"Too bloodthirsty", the robot growled, "after one incident at an orphanage, Mondo expelled me. Said I was a liability", he cackled manically and dug his weapon into the ground.

Tommy began to shake with rage and threw his sword at the feet of Gerrok. The General was expecting to block the attack but it stuck in the ground a few feet in front of him. He looked up just in time to see the Red Zeo Ranger flying overhead and land a powerful kick in his chest. Gerrok countered with a strong blow with his pincer weapon but Tommy shrugged it off like it was nothing. A barrage of kicks and punches were unleashed with an intensity that the robot had ever seen.

Wes looked on with a mixture of awe and fear as Tommy continued his relentless assault. He called on his Chrono Sabers and decided to end this before his fellow red ranger exhausted himself, "Tommy, send him my way", he called out. At first he wasn't sure if Tommy heard him but a powerful dropkick propelled Gerrok into the air. Timing his jump perfectly, Wes executed a Time Strike that cut Gerrok into several pieces. The remains of the General landed in a pile behind the Red Time Force Ranger and exploded on impact. Wes jogged over to Tommy just as the Red Zeo Ranger was retrieving his sword, "You feeling alright Tommy", he asked.

There was a few moments of silence before Tommy said, "No one who harms children deserves to live", he said with a monotone and he turned and walked away. Wes was rooted to the spot, the Machine Empire General had found Tommy's berserk button. He prayed that no one else did that in the future, otherwise they were in a world of trouble.

General Venjix had tried everything but he still couldn't break past the defences of Jason and Cole. He took a few moments to assess the situation of the battle. All of his Generals were gone, a loss but they were too unstable to be of any long term use to him. With his Cogs destroyed that just left the grand prize of Serpenterra up for grabs. He didn't want to launch a suicidal attack when he was so close to victory but he needed to get inside where he was safe, "Give it up Venjix", Jason began, "your army's been destroyed, there's no one left".

"I still have control over Serpenterra", he growled and pushed a button on his remote and the giant craft began to move slightly.

The two red rangers were knocked off balance enough for Venjix to charge towards them, swinging a blade in the process. He sliced them across the chest and they fell to the ground, "No come back", Cole tried desperately to claw at his legs but it was too late. The mighty zord began to break free of the surface and hovered a few feet off the ground.

"Damn it, we've failed", Eric punched the ground in frustration.

"Not yet we haven't", Andros called out as he flashed past on his Glider, nudging Carter off in the process. He reached down and grabbed hold of Jason and Cole, dragging them up onto his board. The Galaxy Glider was slow with three people on it but they were able to jump through the entrance hatch just before it closed.

"It's getting away", Leo cried as the zord left the magically powered atmosphere on The Moon.

"Can we catch up with the Megaship?" Tommy asked TJ.

The Red Turbo Ranger shook his head, "We can but Karone said the outer shell of Serpenterra is too tough for the Mega Laser to penetrate".

"We need have to try", Wes stated.

"Yeah but truthfully it's upto Jason, Andros and Cole now", Carter sighed. The seven remaining red rangers looked overhead as Serpenterra headed for Earth, all of their hopes now rested on three lone red rangers.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	9. Catch You If You Fall

_Chapter 9 – Catching You If You Fall_

 _The Animarium_

The floating paradise island known at the Animarium had not experienced tension like today in a long time. Even through all of the battles three thousand years ago and the more recent scraps with the Orgs, something felt a little different. The knowledge that there was a huge zord with the ability to wipe out the planet heading their way made the Wild Force Rangers extremely nervous. The usually cheerful Princess Shayla sat on the edge of the fountain with a pensive look on her face. She was flanked by her personal protector, the Lunar Wolf Ranger Merrick, who was trying his best to reassure the Princess.

The tension was even getting to Max and Danny who were staring intensely at the viewing screen provided by Jen of the Time Force Rangers. The pink ranger was still in residence on the Animarium and had been joined by the four remaining Space Rangers. This wasn't a new experience for the quintet but this time it was different, they weren't able to help the members of their respective teams.

The worst one of the group was Alyssa, she was barely able to sit still for more than a few minutes before nervously standing up and trying to look busy. This time she made her way over to the kitchen area and starting making a coffee for herself, "He'll be fine you know", she heard Taylor say from the shadows.

"Geez Taylor, are you trying to give me a heart attack", the white ranger grabbed her chest, "I'm nervous enough already without you sneaking up on me".

"You making a drink", Carlos approached the two women, "I'd love a coffee right now".

Alyssa looked at the Black Space Ranger with a hint of confusion, "You seem awfully calm about this?"

Carlos gave a small shrug, "This isn't the first time I've been in this position", he looked at the smaller woman and gave her a smile, "Cole's in good hands, my boys will make sure that nothing happens to him".

"I'm not overly concerned about Cole", Alyssa quickly turned away and continue to make their drink, "no more than the rest of the team are".

Taylor and Carlos looked at each other and the yellow ranger snorted loudly. Carlos chuckled loudly and replied, "Please I had to put up with Andros and Ash making gooey eyes at each other for months, I know when someone's got a crush". Alyssa didn't turn around but she her cheeks were flushing a bright shade of red.

"Guys", Karone called out, "we've got a call from TJ and Wes".

Quickly forgetting about the coffee and their conversation, the trio hurried over the central table where the other rangers had gathered, "So what's the news?" Taylor asked, "is that jarhead of mine in one piece?"

"Eric's fine", Wes laughed, "we've got some good news and bad news".

"It's Cole isn't it", Alyssa nervously fiddled with her hair, "something's happened to him".

"He's fine", TJ began, "well he was the last time we saw him".

"Stop with the riddles and tell us", Merrick snapped from the back of the group.

"We've taken care of four of the generals and the Cogs have all been eliminated", Wes stated, "but Venjix got away in Serpenterra".

"Andros grabbed Cole and Jason and flew them into the zord", TJ continued, "Serpenterra's heading for Earth with the three of them trapped inside".

The group of rangers looked nervously amongst themselves, the fact that Serpenterra was heading their way wasn't good news at all. Plus three of their own were stuck onboard, "So what's the plan", Jen asked, "is there a rescue strategy to get them out".

"DECA can't teleport them", Wes answered, "the Megaship can't breach the hull so the only option is using the Galaxy Gliders to get them out".

"The problem is that they'll only work for us", TJ added, meaning himself and the other Space Rangers, "I need two of our team to help me rescue them".

Immediately Karone and Ashley were on their feet, Andros was in trouble and both of them weren't going to let him die onboard Serpenterra. To their surprise Alyssa too stood up, "I'm going with you", she decided.

"Alyssa you can't", Karone replied, "the Glider's won't work for you, you're better off staying here".

"I'm not going to sit around and wait for them to come back", the white ranger said defiantly, glaring into the blue eyes of the Silver Space Ranger.

Carlos thought for a moment and came up with an idea, "Alyssa can I borrow you morpher", the white ranger looked confused by decided to comply with the request. The Black Space Ranger opened it and pressed a couple of button on the Growl Phone before tapping something into his own morpher, "Use the code number 635 when the time's right, TJ will explain the rest to you when you get there".

As she took her morpher back from Carlos, Alyssa asked, "So I can go?"

Taylor nodded slowly, "Bring Cole back to us, it wouldn't be the same without jungle boy around". Alyssa smiled in appreciation and the three women ran away from the living area on the Animarium as quickly as they could.

"Aww does Taylor have a soft spot for Cole after all", Max taunted the Yellow Wild Force Ranger.

Living up to her spirit animal, Taylor whipped her head around and fixed Max with an eagle stare. She poked a finger in his chest, "Not a word to him, kid", she hissed and stomped away, leaving an indignant Max behind.

 _Serpenterra_

Inside the belly of the beast, Andros checked over the remains of his Galaxy Glider. It had clipped the edge of the door on the way through and this had caused it to crash heavily into the ground, "How's it looking?" Cole asked.

"Not great", Andros replied, "it's going to need some serious repairs".

"Will it fly out of here?" Jason asked to which the Red Space Ranger shook his head, "great so how do we get out?"

Andros thought for a moment and tried his communicator but he wasn't getting a signal, "The hull's too thick to get a call out", he stated, "how about you guys?" Jason and Cole tried but like Andros, they couldn't get through, "So this is how it ends", Andros sighed, "at least we get to save the world one last time". The other two rangers bowed their heads, unless they got extremely lucky it was quite likely they would go down with Serpenterra when they destroyed.

"Come on, let's get this over with", Jason added sadly and the trio began their long walk through the corridor.

After a few minutes in silence, Cole stated, "Can we not do this walk in silence, its already unnerving as it is".

Jason sighed, "Alright what do you wanna talk about"

"Anything", Cole began, "how about tell me how you got your powers, I don't think I've heard that story".

There was a few moments of silence before Jason began, "I was a High School freshman when Zordon recruited me for his first team on Earth". Andros looked in his direction, he knew that Jason was young when he first became a ranger but he didn't realise how young he had been. "Rita Repulsa was our primary villain and then Lord Zedd, I had to give up my powers when I suffered a serious injury at Zedd's hand".

"But then you got your Zeo powers didn't you?" Andros asked.

"Yeah but that was a couple of years later", Jason replied, "shame those power's put a lot of strain on my lifeforce so I probably can't use them again".

"We've had a ranger team on KO-35 for nearly two hundred years", Andros began, "there was a strong alliance between the Karovian people and Eltar. The power was usually passed down the family line, unless circumstances dictated that it couldn't happen".

"So they're not bound exclusively to you then?" Cole asked.

"Yes and no", Andros answered, "the red morpher doesn't just work for me, in theory anyone could use it but it was traditional to pass it onto one of your children. My Dad was the previous red ranger and in fact my Mom was the yellow ranger", he paused for a moment before adding, "Karone was always meant to be the next yellow ranger but I guess it didn't work out like that". This was news to Jason, he never knew that Karone was destined to be a ranger, maybe he had been too harsh to judge her.

"But now she's the silver ranger right?" Cole stated, "how did that come about?"

"That's probably a story for another time", Jason jumped in. Andros gave the original red ranger a nod of thanks, he didn't want to dig up that story again, "Looks like we're here".

The door in front of them was the same as the one from their simulation, only this one was slightly ajar, "I can't see any extra sensors and my morpher isn't picking up any defences", Andros stated.

"Our lucky day then", Jason said darkly. He called on his Power Sword and the other two red rangers summoned their weapons. With a mighty heave the door's opened and the trio burst through, "There's no one here", Jason gasped.

"We'd better make this quick then", Andros turned to Cole, "we'll disable the Neo Plutonium reactor as per the instructions from the Karovia Science Department, Jason you watch our backs". Moving to the control rods, Andros and Cole took it in turns to push them into the reactor. Minutes passed but still there was no sign of Venjix or any further Cogs, "Just the last rod and then we can extract the core", Andros called out.

The sound of heavy footsteps caught their attention and they all turned towards the door, "Keep going, I'll keep them busy", Jason grunted and tightened his grip on his sword. He waited for a hoard of Cogs to charge in but to his surprise, only a battle damaged Venjix appeared, "I don't think much of the welcoming committee", he said to the robot.

"Red rangers", Venjix hissed, "you'll regret stepping foot on Serpenterra", he pulled out his sword and charged towards Jason. The original red ranger parried the first blow and countered with a strike of his own that caught Venjix on the shoulder.

Whilst this was going on, Andros and Cole continued to work on the core, "That's the last rod", Cole said, "now we just need to take out the core". Andros nodded and located the storage device that had been rather helpfully left by the core.

"Guys, watch out", Jason shouted. The pair turned their heads and saw a blast of laser fire heading their way. They dropped to the floor and the bolts slammed into the machinery behind them. Alarms began sounding throughout the zord and steam was pouring out of the nearby pipes.

"Did he hit the reactor?" Cole shouted over the sound of the alarm.

"Not the Neo Plutonium one", Andros replied, "but the primary reactor is overloading".

Venjix pushed Jason out the way and began to advance on the other two red rangers, "If I'm not getting out of here then neither are you". He was about to fire again but he had forgotten about the original red ranger. Jason swung his Power Sword upwards and sliced Venjix's arm off at his elbow joint. The self appointed leader of the Machine Empire barely had time to inspect the damage before Jason pushed him towards one of the coolant pipes. When Venjix's cool skin hit the scolding hot pipe a large amount of steam shot into the air.

"Don't move", Jason grabbed Venjix's fallen sword and rammed it through his abdomen. Venjix was pinned to the wall and he struggled to get himself free, "How's it going?"

Cole carefully placed the Neo Plutonium core into its lead lined safety container, "The core's safe but this place is going to blow".

As the three red rangers began to run out of the room, Venjix bellowed, "You'll never get out of here alive".

"Neither will you and that's what counts", Jason shouted back. Venjix struggled to free himself but the heat in the pipes was so intense that his body had now been fused to the metal structure. The robot roared in frustration as the trio of red rangers left him behind.

Running back down the corridors, the rangers could hear the walls creaking under the strain of the failing reactor. Occasionally a computer terminal would explode, showering the three men with sparks. Arriving back at the door, they could hear a rumbling from the engine room that signified an imminent failure, "End of the line", Cole sighed.

"We'll have to take our chances outside", Andros pulled out his Astro Blaster.

"In space", Cole exclaimed, "are you crazy".

"Better than staying here with an exploding reactor", the Red Space Ranger shrugged.

Pulling out his Blade Blaster, Jason asked, "Will our suits protect us for long?" Andros glanced back briefly before turning back to the door. That was all the response that Jason needed that this was a nearly hopeless situation. The three blasted in the door in unison and they were sucked out into the vacuum of space. The helmets would give them oxygen for an infinite amount of time but their suits wouldn't keep the cold out forever. The Galaxy Gliders usually formed a protective bubble so that provided heat for as long as the Space Rangers needed.

Moments after the rangers were sucked clear, Serpenterra exploded sending debris out into the far reaches of space. It was a miracle that none of them were hit by anything but the force of the blast threw them even further into space.

Cole could see Earth in the distance but it was quickly getting further away. He was beginning to resign himself to his fate when something grabbed him by the arm. He landed on a black object that looked like Andros's broken Galaxy Glider, only it wasn't piloted by Carlos, "Alyssa, what are you doing out here?" he gasped.

"What does it look like I'm doing", the white ranger replied, "saving your life you idiot". The pair looked over and Ashley had saved Andros and he was slung over the back of her Glider, "Thanks for the crash course in flying this thing".

"No problem", Ashley replied, "do you think that you can get it back to the Megaship?" Alyssa nodded slowly but was struggling to get the Glider moving. Ashley chuckled and used her board to give the borrowed Glider a nudge. A few moments later, Alyssa got the Glider moving at she shot off into the distance.

A little further away, Jason sat with his legs dangling over the edge of Karone's Glider, "Thanks for the save", he stated.

"Don't mention it", Karone said without looking around.

There were a few moments of silence before Jason began, "Look I just wanted to say..."

"Forget it", Karone replied, "apology accepted".

Jason was confused but then realised that Karone probably read his surface thoughts, "I thought you'd make me work harder for it", he stated.

"I try not to dwell on the past too much anymore", the silver ranger began, "now let's get back to Earth, I reckon they'll be one hell of a party". Jason chuckled as the board rocketed back to the Megaship.

 _ **A/N –**_ _I apologise for this but I need to have a little bit of a rant. It came to my attention that someone has plagiarised one of my stories, my Dino Charge story "Heroes Of Their Time". There were two stories that were blatantly cut and paste from my own work. The only difference was that some of the names were changed. It wasn't even a good cut and paste job as the original names of my characters were still present in places. Also one of the characters was gender flipped but the wrong (correct in my story) gender prefixes were kept in._

 _Weirdly (or conveniently) after I posted a review calling the "writer" out on this, the story in question disappeared but there's still the other on left. Now I'm only going to say this once, plagiarism is not on and is something that I won't tolerate. I worked very hard on "Heroes" and all my other stories and I think they deserved better than being butchered in a half arsed cut and paste job. If people would like to use one of my characters or maybe a particular concept then please ask my permission first. Consider yourselves warned._

 _I don't want to end on a moan so I would like to thank everyone who enjoys my work, I appreciate all your feedback and comments and I hope to continue to write for as long as I have ideas to share._


	10. Dawn Of A Brand New World

_Chapter 10 – Dawn Of A Brand New World_

 _October 4 2002 – NASADA Base, CA_

The deserted hangar of the Californian NASADA base once again echoed to the sound of the Astro Megaship's engines. This time though there was a small crowd to greet their arrival as the additional members of the Space, Time Force and Wild Force teams were there to greet their fellow rangers. Other than a mild case of hypothermia, Jason, Cole and Andros were showing no ill effects from their exposure to outer space. There did have to spend a night in the Megaship's Medibay, just to be sure there were no other issues with their health.

The Megaship slowly landed and a few moments later the loading bay door opened. The red rangers barely had time to step foot on the ramp before they were engulfed by the waiting rangers. Wes earned himself a passionate kiss from Jen before both her and Eric got a slap around the back of the head, "Oww, what the hell was that for", the Quantum Ranger grumbled.

"For starting a fight you morons", the pink ranger began, "I knew you wouldn't be able to control yourself for too long"

"I don't think you should be too hard on them Jen", Jason stated, "we all carry the blame for the fight".

Jen folded her arm cross her chest and thought about this for a moment, "Fine but I'm still asking Mr Collins to dock you pay", she said to Eric before turning to Wes, "and you're still sleeping on the sofa tonight".

"Ouch, I don't know which one's worse", Leo chuckled. He looked out at the gathered crowd and turned to Carter, "Where's the rest of your team, I thought they'd be here cheering you on?"

"Busy", Carter replied, "Ryan and Chad are working on the new Aquabase, Joel's performing at an airshow, Kelsey's training for the X-Games and Dana", he paused and audibly sighed, "probably nose deep in a medical textbook".

Leo nodded slowly, "Shame I was looking forward to catching up with them, perhaps when I'm next on Earth". Carter nodded slowly as Leo gravitated towards the Space Rangers. He wasn't completely honest with Leo, he wasn't really sure what the other Lightspeed Rangers were up to. All of them had been so wrapped up in their own separate careers that they hadn't met up as a team for over six months.

"So I hear that you're going to be the next leader of Mirinoi", Cassie asked Leo as he approached her team.

"The elders still need to approve it but yeah, it's looking extremely likely", the Red Galaxy Ranger replied. "I was sure they'd pick Maya but apparently she turned them down".

"Really, why?" Ashley asked, she was still in regular contact with her fellow yellow ranger and Maya had never mentioned it.

"Didn't want it", Leo shrugged, "she's happy teaching the youngsters and being the chief would stop her from doing that". The group then looked over at the Wild Force team who were welcoming Cole back to Earth. They noticed that Alyssa had a nervous hold on Cole's arm and in turn, the red ranger's arm was lightly placed on her lower back, "I never did get the whole story about her appearance on the Megaship", Leo asked the Space Ranger.

"Well we were talking with her and it didn't take a genius to figure out that she liked him", Carlos stated.

"Yeah cause even Carlos figured it out", Karone joked. The black ranger glared at her and in response, she nudged him in the ribs, "As soon as TJ said Cole needed help she volunteered straight away". The silver ranger gave the latest team another glance, even though Taylor's expression was pretty neutral, Karone could tell that the yellow ranger was pleased to see Cole safe and well. "They're a good bunch of people, I bet there's not a dull moment on the Animarium".

"I can't believe I missed that", TJ groaned, "I grew up on the tale of the Animarium, I would love to have visited".

"Well it's a good thing that Princess Shayla is hosting a celebration party tonight", Cassie replied. TJ's eyes lit up and he grabbed Cassie by the waist and spun her around in a circle.

"Alright TJ put her down", Jason chuckled, "us red's have one final meeting then we can party to our hearts content".

Jason and Tommy gathered the other red rangers around in a circle away from the others, "I know I said this last night but congratulations everyone. The Machine Empire is finally gone and Serpenterra won't threaten anyone again".

"I've got something else to add", Andros began, "if this mission has taught us anything it's that we work best as a united group. I was guilty of letting my personal feelings get in the way of that but I think that I speak for everyone when I say that it's good to be on the same page again".

Tommy looked over at the Red Space Ranger with a little bit of hope in his eyes, "Does that mean..".

"No", TJ cut across him, "our views on Hexagon still haven't changed and we've got a good life on Karovia so we won't be signing up with your organisation". He paused for a moment before adding, "But we'd be open to working with any of you again".

"Just say the word", Andros added with a smile.

"Now that definitely calls for a celebration", Tommy replied but he was interrupted again when a familiar looking car pulled up outside the hangar. "Unfortunately I'm going to have to take a rain check on that". He gave the other one final nod before crossing the tarmac to the waiting car. The red rangers saw a conflicted looking Kat step out the car and look at her approaching husband. She looked relieved to see him but at the same time, she still looked annoyed. A few words were exchanged but she warmly greeted Tommy with a hug. The couple got into the car and it slowly drove away.

"So that's Tommy", Cole began, "he really is the greatest ranger".

There was a cry of disagreement from the other red ranger along with a few playful shoves, "Please", Eric scoffed, "my Q-Rex could eat his Dragonzord for lunch".

"At least he's doesn't have a mullet anymore", Carter added.

"I could tell you a few stories about Tommy that would prove that he isn't that great", Jason began walking backwards across the tarmac, "in fact I was the one who did all the work whilst he was at the Juice Bar making gooey eyes at Kimberly".

"Hang on a sec", Wes interjected, "I saved time itself, so why does Tommy get all the praise".

"I saved a planet and a floating space colony", Leo raised his hand, "I'm just saying", he added with a shrug.

"Well I stopped Dark Specter and the Alliance of Evil forever", Andros boasted.

"You mean we", TJ playfull slapped him on the chest, "now did I ever tell you about the time I got baked into a giant pizza?"

By now the other rangers had caught up with the red rangers, "Please TJ not the pizza story again", Cassie groaned.

"I think that it's definitely TJ's round first", Carlos laughed and jumped onto the Red Turbo Ranger's back, "drinks on this guy here".

Eric laughed and wrapped his arm around Cole's shoulder, "Who thinks that this guy should do a few shots tonight?"

"Eric behave", Taylor clipped him around the head, "he's not even twenty one yet".

"Tay this badass here just blew up a massive robotic dragon", Eric gripped Cole a little harder, "I think we can forgive him for a little underage drinking".

"Actually I don't think the Princess allows alcohol on the Animarium", Cole shrugged, "sorry everyone".

"Don't worry Cole", Lucas smiled, "we're Power Rangers, we're extremely resourceful people".

Cole rolled his eyes at the Blue Time Force Ranger and shook his head. He turned around and quickly caught Carter's eye, "Can I grab a quick word?" Carter nodded slowly and the other's stopped, "Don't worry, we'll catch you up in a moment".

"What's up Cole", Carter asked, "if you're worried aout Eric, don't worry we'll make sure he doesn't get out of hand".

"No it's not that", Cole shook his head, "I was wondering if the offer that Hexagon made us was still available".

Carter's heart skipped a beat for moment, he had completely forgotten about that, "Are you sure Cole, don't you want to discuss it with your team first?" A part of Carter wanted to put him off, not because he thought it was a bad idea but he didn't want to think that he had manipulated Cole into signing the contract.

"Carter you believed in me when others wouldn't have", the Red Wild Force Ranger began, "you didn't treat me like a rookie or a kid, you trusted me to leader nine other veteran rangers. If that's how Hexagon treats it's employees then sign me up".

"What about the others?" Carter asked trying everything to put him off.

"I'm sure they'll understand", Cole smiled. Carter gave him a tight smile in return and pulled out the contract from his orange Lightspeed jacket. He found a pen and gave it to Cole who quickly signed on the dotted line, "Thanks, you won't regret this", he turned around and ran to catch up with the others.

"Yeah but maybe I will", Carter sighed and put the contract back into his jacket. He couldn't believe that he had manipulated Cole so easily into signing the contract. But the more he thought about it, maybe he was the one who had been twisted into the deception. All of that didn't sit too well with the Red Lightspeed Ranger and he vowed never to do anything like that again. He trailed behind the others, almost too ashamed to be part of their group. He would need a few stiff drinks tonight to wash the bad taste away.

 _Hexagon Headquarters, Angel Grove_

The top floor of Hexagon Headquarters housed the executive suites where the primary board members usually worked from. The floor was arranged so that the board room sat in the middle of the space with the individual offices dotted around. They were the personal sanctum of the executive board but the majority of the staff had never seen them personally.

Philip Spader stepped out of the elevator and was immediately greeted by another member of the board. Spader gave the middle aged woman a polite smile, "Afternoon Desiree", he greeted warmly, "I thought you usually took Thursday's off?"

Desiree Powell was a second generation American, her family had emigrated from Barbados to start a new life. She was of slim build with dark skin and closely cropped head of dark hair. Her father had been at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement in the sixties, something which had sadly cost him his life. Desiree had quickly moved up the corporate ladder in a number of organisations before getting hand picked by Spader himself for Hexagon, "Hello Philip", she replied, "I thought I would come in and see for myself how the Rangers got on".

"Everything went according to plan", Spader stated with a slightly frosty tone.

"And who's plan would that be", she walked past the man and into the elevator, "I'll see you at the next board meeting Philip".

Spader smiled cordially but the second the lift door closed he muttered, "Bitch". He straightened his tie and retreated to his office. Much like the man himself, his personal space was neat and highly organised. There was no unwanted clutter and no personal knick knacks that usually adorned people's desk.

He opened up his laptop before reaching into his desk and pulled out a bottle of scotch. Pouring himself a healthy measure, he then reached into his pocket to retrieve a packet of cigarettes. He lit one up and leaned back in his chair, "Did you know that smoking is hazardous to your health?" a distorted voice called out into the quiet office.

"Of course I do", Spader replied, "I spent the best part of five years trying to polish the reputation of the tobacco industry after all", he leaned forward and stared at the laptop. There was no image on the screen, just a blue line that represented a sound wave, "I assume you've heard the news?" he said to his computer.

"Indeed", the line on the screen moved with the sound of the distorted voice, "although I understand it was touch and go for a while".

"I always said that Scott and Oliver were a liability", Spader snorted, "or Mr PTSD and Mr Nanny as I should really call them".

"They give the project legitimacy", the voice replied, "however, they do see the world in vibrant shades of black and white".

"Whereas we're in that nice grey area right?" Spader chuckled and stubbed out his cigarette. "I'm not sure how he did it but Grayson got the new guy to sign the contract, perhaps there's hope for him yet".

"If there's one thing I know about Power Ranger it's that they believe in morals", the voice began, "Grayson may have come through this time but I don't think he can be called on again".

Spader grabbed his glass and took a quick drink, "Clearly that home psychology course is paying off for you", he chuckled but there was no response from the computer, "that was a joke".

"Was it", the voice stated, "I thought jokes were meant to be funny".

"Everyone's a critic", Spader pushed his glass across his desk, "I had a run in with Desiree Wilson a moment ago, I think she's beginning to suspect something".

There was silence for a few moments before the voice replied, "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I'll look into that as soon as possible". The mystery voice went quiet again before continuing, "How are the new morphers coming along?"

"Completed and delivered", Spader stated, "the Wind Ninja Academy is fully equipped for whatever they think is coming for them".

"Good", the voice paused before adding, "and the status of the other projects".

Spader leaned back again in his chair, "Oliver is leaving for Mercer Island in a few weeks. Anton has agreed to finance his research into the gems and is willing to give any technological assistance where he can. We've received two new requests from an Andrew Hartford and some people calling themselves the Pai Zhuq".

"Sounds like we're about to enter a brand new era", the voice stated, "talking of new eras, the elections for Governor of California are next year".

"Yeah I know what you're implying", Spader snorted and swirled his drink, "that meathead actor has got that one in the bag, even an idiot can see that".

"Things can change", the voice said cryptically, "plus we need you in the real hot seat when the time comes and this is an important stepping stone". There was a brief pause, "So can I count on your cooperation".

"Only if I can count on your vote", Spader smirked and raised his glass, "a toast to the power behind the next generation of Power Rangers".

"Good luck Philip", with that final comment the laptop powered down. Spader gently spun himself around in his chair, giddy with excitement. If all went to plan then he would be the next Governor of California then there really would be no stopping him. If his backer was to be believed then maybe he would be in the White House in a few years time. Downing his drink he stood up and left his office, he was going to celebrate his own momentous victory. One which he believed would be much more important in Earth's history than the one the Power Rangers achieved yesterday.

 **THE END**

 _ **A/N –**_ _The plot thickens, looks like Spader and this mystery gentleman are playing the long game and that can't be good. Next up we move into the Ninja Storm area with a story called Renegades. It will bring together a lot of plot threads that were started in a previous story "Strike Of The Ninja". It's not essential to read that but if you want a little bit of home work then feel free to check it out. Keep an eye out for it and I hope to see you next time._


End file.
